Is it an option?
If you know a little bit about blockchain and its possible applications, then you might have seen a new identification system being managed, replacing the current ID cards with a digital ID system. This new approach to ID could solve a lot of problems that we are currently facing, but no new solution comes without problems. So, we’ll take a deeper look into the way that blockchain technology can create a new identification system
The problem with our current identification system
When people talk about using blockchain for a new identification system then this is usually in the context of refugees, and this is a problem that we’ve heard over and over, it’s also a much-used argument in the refugee debate. Many refugees have no way to identify themselves at various borders, they leave all their identification in the country the came from, which is often difficult if not impossible to access. If you were to have a digital identity, that would be accessible all over the world, like the information in a blockchain, then we wouldn’t have this problem. Another problem with identity is identity fraud and identity theft, and as you might know, blockchain is a system that is built to make fraud close to impossible. I’m getting ahead of myself though, first we’ll be talking about the way that such a blockchain identification system would play out.
An identification system with blockchain technology
First, we need to quickly cover the basics of blockchain technology. Basically, it’s like a decentralized network made up of nodes, which are computers connected to the network. There is no central storage for all the data, which in this case would be ID data. The system is also 100% transparent, and changes in the system would be made through the making of transactions, which are encrypted into blocks and added to the blockchain to verify them.
Everyone’s identity would be based off biometrics, which are things like a finger print or an iris scan. The blockchain database would give access to all your identity data with the use of your finger print or iris scan.
The benefits to blockchain
Blockchain technology provides a couple of benefits when it comes to an identification system, and these don’t just go for refugees. The first benefit is that an identification system is available across the world, with the touch of a finer, quite literally when using your fingerprint as a way to access your identity. This would take away a huge problem for refugees and allow them to access their identity in any country they land in. Another benefit is the cyber security that blockchain technology offers. The fact that this system is decentralized along with the encryption make it a very safe system that is impossible to hack or commit fraud with. Identity theft won’t be as big a problem as it is today. An ID card can be faked when you try hard enough, a fingerprint is close to impossible.
The blockchain technology may offer a solution to the many problems that we are currently facing with our identification system, it will make identity more accessible to everyone around the world and will make identity theft or identity fraud a lot harder, which will make the world altogether a safer place. Of course, this is a huge change that won’t happen overnight, but I do hope that we can eventually switch altogether to a digital identification using blockchain technology. So, are you going to be part of the revolution?