New Report Reviews Blockchain Applications by US Federal Government

Published at: June 11, 2019

The research organization Data Foundation and IT firm Booz Allen Hamilton have published a report with five proposed questions to guide the United States federal government on where and how to implement blockchain initiatives.

Their research was published in the report “Bringing Blockchain Into Government: A Path Forward for Creating Effective Federal Blockchain Initiatives” on June 10.

According to the report, blockchain solutions make the most sense when applied to some sort of procedure with a predetermined level of consistency and a low level of agility, assuming that the immutable ledger provided by blockchain is valuable for the task in the first place.

The report lists five questions they came up with for how a federal organization can decide whether a blockchain solution makes sense:

“1. Does the blockchain offer a real benefit for information security, trust, or transparency? … 2. Can blockchain be practically and efficiently applied? … 3. What blockchain design is most appropriate? … 4. Is the cost of applying blockchain merited relative to information gains? … 5. Does the application satisfy applicable data sharing and confidentiality laws?”

In coming up with these criteria, the organizations looked at seven instances of blockchain initiatives at the federal level that they deemed successful.

The report noted several blockchain-based initiatives across various agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Treasury and the Department of Defense, among others.

The report notes that the programs are in varying stages of success and development. The researchers conclude that, “Whether blockchain will ultimately prove a success in government is yet to be seen. But for now, applying blockchain for government programs and operations should be a welcome development when possible.”

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the FDA launched a pilot program using blockchain tech as a supply chain tracker for pharmaceuticals in February. The Pilot Project Program Under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act is specifically focused on tracking drugs and preventing pharma counterfeiting.

Tags
Blockchain
United States
Ethereum
Government
Health
Smart Contracts
Privacy
Related Posts
What you should know before buying or selling an NFT in the US
Nonfungible tokens appear to be an idea whose time has come. Originally developed for use with collectible trading-card games, NFTs can represent almost any unique asset. Outside of the gamer context, the first NFT to gain widespread popularity was probably CryptoKitties, which were released back in 2017. Related: CryptoKitties’ Dieter Shirley on breaking Ethereum and NFTs CryptoKitties became so popular that at one time, CryptoKitty trading clogged the Ethereum network, setting records for transaction volume. NFTs have only grown in popularity since then, and have now been developed for a range of in-game assets, digital collectibles, unique artworks and more. …
Artists / April 3, 2021
Decentralization: Preserving Personal Privacy While Fighting COVID-19
In an effort to keep citizens safe, state authorities have rapidly implemented various emergency plans to curb the spread of COVID-19. In South Korea, the movements of infected citizens are being broadcasted via public text message. In Israel, the government has approved a law to track smartphones belonging to those suspected of being infected. In the United States, the government is in talks with Google and Facebook to access location data, and in the United Kingdom, data giant Palantir is merging data for the National Health Service to inform the nation’s response. The extent to which governments can leverage technology …
Decentralization / June 7, 2020
Major US Health IT Provider HMS Partners With Blockchain Startup Solve.Care
Major health information technology provider for the United States government, HMS Technologies Inc. (HMS) has partnered with blockchain startup Solve.Care. The development was announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 22. As part of the collaboration, HMS will reportedly integrate Solve.Care’s blockchain platform into their federal health information technology (HIT) initiatives in a bid to reduce government healthcare costs and improve interoperability and accessibility. Bill Kirkpatrick, CEO of HMS, said that the partnership will “enable disparate HIT applications to share secured health data via patient authorized access using unsecured Internet connectivity, improving care coordination while enhancing digital …
Adoption / April 22, 2019
US State of Connecticut Introduces Bill to Authorize Smart Contract Use in Commerce
A committee of the Connecticut state legislature has proposed to authorize the use of smart contracts in commerce in the state, according to official documentation introduced on March 7. The Commerce Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) has introduced House Bill 7310, suggesting that blockchain-powered smart contracts may be used in commerce conducted or initiated in the United States state of Connecticut. The committee elaborated that any cryptographic signature or a record secured through distributed ledger technology (DLT) should be considered to be in an electronic form and an electronic record. The CGA Commerce Committee emphasized that no smart …
Adoption / March 8, 2019
3 things every NFT investor should know to avoid a tax nightmare
2021 will be remembered as the year of nonfungible tokens (NFTs). In a year where names like Beeple and Bored Ape Yacht Club dominated the headlines, it’s estimated that NFTs have generated more than $23 billion in trading volume. The rise of NFTs has ushered in a new generation of investors who spend time scouring platforms like Discord and OpenSea looking for the next 100x opportunity. However, it’s important for the NFT investor of today to keep tax implications in mind. Otherwise, they risk repeating the mistakes of the past. After the 2017 bull run, many crypto traders found themselves …
Blockchain / Feb. 5, 2022