Tabla de contenidos
Each generation experiences a grand phenomenon that revolutionizes the way the world operates forever. The most recent was the emergence and rise of Bitcoin as well as other subsequent cryptocurrencies. Blockchain Technology is the foundational element behind Bitcoin. As we approach the 3rd decade of the 21st century, the potential of this marvel technology transcends cryptocurrency. This article will explore these possibilities, with a minor focus on how it can help to break up big tech monopolies and create a fair decentralised tech space for all the internet users.
Blockchain is a decentralised system of storing information that preserves the provenance of original data. The name “Blockchain” is a combination of the words “Block” and “Chain”. A blockchain consists of packages of information known as “Blocks” that are each linked to the one before, thus creating the Blockchain illusion.
Estos bloques pueden contener una gran cantidad de información en formatos digitales, como transacciones financieras, registros de propiedad, contratos legales, información médica y muchos otros. Cada bloque completo está vinculado a su nonce, un número arbitrario de 32 bits generado aleatoriamente cuando se crea el bloque, y su hash, un número de identificación de 256 bits generado por el nonce. Este hash puede describirse como el equivalente digital de una huella dactilar humana, debido a su singularidad.
La historia de la tecnología Blockchain se remonta a principios de la década de 1990, cuando los criptógrafos Stuart Haber y W. Scott Stornetta intentaron establecer un sistema con marcas de tiempo de documentos a prueba de manipulaciones. Sin embargo, la primera utilización práctica de las cadenas de bloques no se produjo hasta enero de 2009, cuando Satoshi Nakamoto, el creador o creadores seudónimos de Bitcoin, lanzó la ahora infame criptomoneda.
One of the prominent properties of blockchain technology is its ability to be used as a distributed ledger, as demonstrated by bitcoin. In this model, bitcoin is managed by a peer-to-peer network of devices (known as “nodes”) geographically spread all over the world. These nodes are operated by separate, independent individuals or groups, as opposed to a distributed database with a central administration or authority. This decentralization allows the blockchain to be resistant to any altercations to its previously recorded information, meaning the data recorded in the blockchain (in bitcoin’s case, transaction history) is irreversible.
On a public blockchain like bitcoin, the decision to add new information is made by consensus. When a majority of nodes on the blockchain verifies that the information is valid, it is added to the chain in the form of a block. Each block’s position on the blockchain is based on the chronological order of creation. Therefore, each block contains the exact timestamp of its creation, its hash, as well as the hash of its predecessor. If any changes are made to the information in a block, its hash and the timestamp also change automatically. This makes it impossible to tamper with the data on the blockchain. If a user alters their copy of the blockchain, other nodes on the chain could easily cross-reference their copies and identify the node responsible as well as correct the change. This fault-tolerance mechanism builds trust in each block in the history of the blockchain and gives the users the platform to interact with the data in real-time without relying on intermediary third-parties such as banks, lawyers, brokers, etc.
El objetivo de usar una cadena de bloques es permitir que las personas, en particular, las personas que no confían entre sí, compartan datos valiosos de una manera segura y a prueba de manipulaciones.
Reseña de tecnología del MIT
Due to this transparent, decentralized nature of a blockchain network, any adjustment to the system operation or the data it contains requires consensus, which ensures these changes are made in the best interests of the majority (Blockchain distributed consensus model). Moreover each and every online transaction involving digital assets, past and present, can be verified at any time in the future. This brings us to the first point in our list of how blockchain technology can immensely underpin the way we do online activities in coming years.
Cómo la tecnología blockchain puede romper los monopolios actuales de las grandes tecnologías
We are currently witnessing the incessant rise and unparalleled dominance of big-tech giants. In 2019, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft generated combined revenue of $899.2 billion. For reference, if those 5 big-tech companies were to aggregate into a single country, it would be the 18th largest country in the world by GDP[1]. With the majority of the population now believing the tech companies should have their powers limited[2]. it has become evident that a technological solution to break up the tech giants stronghold on our society is just as needed as government-imposed regulations. This is where blockchain technology comes into play. Steem is a new kind of social media platform that’s powered by Blockchain tech and the competition in this space is heating up!
Protección de la privacidad
If there was a competition for the world’s worst kept secret, social media companies and search engines accessing our private data would be the odds-on-favorite to bring the trophy home! Everything from personal conversations to search queries we enter to advertisements we click on is tracked, recorded, and stored. A blockchain-based system could prove to be a fine antidote to this treacherous predicament. As cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and IOTA have demonstrated, combining cryptography and economic incentives can establish an unbreachable way of storing and accessing the private information of anonymous users. Blockchain networks with special cryptographic functions can enable the protection of information and manage who can access it by allowing varying degrees of confidentiality. Blocksurvey.io is an example of such a network. It implements a blockchain system that prevents your personal information from being shared when you’re answering a third-party survey.
Lucha contra las noticias falsas
Fake news and clickbait have infested our orthodox social media feeds. A survey held in spring 2020 showed that 60% of 16-to-24-year-olds in the UK had recently used social media for information about the coronavirus, and 59% had come across fake news on the subject[3]. The situation across the globe is not any better. A Reuters Institute report for the University of Oxford’s Study of Journalism accounts that 55% of readers are concerned about online misinformation. The related YouGov survey which featured 75,000 people from 38 countries across all continents has uncovered the disquieting fact that less than half of people (49%) trust the news media they use themselves[4].
So why aren’t these social media powerhouses not taking sufficient measures to tackle this? Is it because they are not equipped with a technique capable enough to mitigate and verify millions of pieces of information posted within mere minutes? Or is it because fake news and clickbait drive up engagement and more engagement equals more money? Well, it’s a bit of both. Here, the transparent nature of a blockchain ledger becomes the wildcard.
According to Avivah Litan, the co-author of the “Predicts 2020: Blockchain Technology” report, By 2023, up to 30% of world news and video content will be authenticated as real by blockchain ledgers, countering Deep Fake technology[5]. As blockchains continue to make swift and palpable moves through the world of technology, we might be heading towards a fake news-free social media networks.
Lucha contra la censura
Big tech oligarchs have been under increasing scrutiny lately regarding their enforcement of rigorous online censorship and demonetization. While the global conversation regarding the threat to free speech from big-tech monopolies gets heated, Chinese internet users have already deployed blockchains to resist the heavy censorship implemented by the governing Chinese Communist Party. Several blocked letters and reports have been published on the Ethereum blockchain by anonymous users. Since Ethereum transactions are permanent and distributed among many computers in public decentralized networks, anyone could read the materials, and the CCP was unable to tamper with the information or force ISPs to remove them[6]. While it must be noted that the Chinese state-led censorship vastly differentiates from the big-tech companies’ censorship, the principle of utilizing blockchains to fight online censorship can be adopted by any platform wishing to supersede current social media heavyweights.
Allanando nuevas vías para recibir pagos
Social media content producers have long been resigned to losing well-earned money to media platforms acting as the middle-man. A blockchain network that features a goal-based financial incentive system can eliminate this problem and allow individual creators themselves to gain agency over their content as opposed to a central media platform. A blockchain-based video sharing platform could rival YouTube in the future by adopting this theory.
Ranidu Lankage’s blockchain-based music streaming service Audio has already incorporated this idea to its core. The innovative Sri Lankan DJ’s platform will allow users to spend tokens to listen to songs as it seeks to cut out the middle-man in streaming and pay up-and-coming artists their fair share. Prueba de palabras and Iniciativa de Música Abierta are organisations that use blockchain tech as a way to protect copyrights of web content creators.
Furthermore, businesses could have the opportunity to streamline their transactions and payment processes using “smart contracts”, a series of programs that are stored on a blockchain and can be used to automatically exchange rewards based on certain conditions and criteria.
Conclusión
Con los titanes de la gran tecnología que continúan pisando hielo muy delgado usando su poder absoluto, la misión de los desarrolladores de blockchain de interrumpir y paralizar estos monopolios y establecer una web más descentralizada sería sin duda una a tener en cuenta durante la próxima década. Señal del efecto de avalancha.
Veamos ahora las aplicaciones de la tecnología Blockchain
La tecnología blockchain puede ser útil en muchos sectores. Aquí hemos enumerado algunas de las aplicaciones comunes.
Aplicaciones en el sector gubernamental
1. Implementar un sistema de voto confiado para elecciones democráticas
With the hotly-contested 2020 US Presidential Election reigniting the age-old public discourse regarding voter-fraud, there has probably never been a better time to look into permanently applying blockchain technology to create a secure voting system. The immutable nature of the blockchain would guarantee the eradication of ballot-tampering as well as eliminate the need for manual counting, thus delivering faster election results. Moreover, the ability to cast your vote digitally in the form of a cryptographic unit or token would void the need to be physically present in order to vote. This will help boost voter turnout. Additionally, the transparency and traceability that blockchain offers will widely decrease public distrust related to the validity of the ballots and election results in general, and prevent the need for further audits. Needless to say, all things considered, a blockchain-based voting system would be a significant overhaul to the currently outdated traditional voting systems. Voatz is one such company that’s researching on this area.
2. Almacenamiento de datos públicos
Government databases are almost always the largest single record of information on its citizens. They record, store and manage individual’s data on a plethora of different factors from birth to death. This makes them very attractive targets for hackers and other bad-faith actors. A blockchain network can help reduce this threat significantly. The decentralization will not only provide resistance to a potential breach or data remodification, but it will also add better transparency to the database. Furthermore, a blockchain structure would help the general public navigates these databases more smoothly and efficiently.
Aplicaciones en Finanzas
3. Reducción de los costos de las transacciones transfronterizas
Las transacciones transfronterizas suelen resultar costosas y requieren mucho tiempo. Esto se debe principalmente a tener que pasar por autorizaciones de seguridad y hacer paradas en varios bancos en el camino. Un método inspirado en blockchain como Bitcoin aceleraría este proceso y ayudaría a reducir los costos y tarifas de transacción. ¡Esto significa que ya no dependerás de PayPal!
4. Verificación de identidades digitales
With 91 percent of banks, worldwide have started to invest in blockchain-inspired solutions, it won’t be long before they will be able to authenticate the identity of a unique customer using blockchain IDs. This will allow them to protect their institution as well as their customer from scammers and other fraudulent personnel. Plataforma de hidrógeno is a great example of an online source that uses blockchain properties to facilitate digital identification, among other financial services. Evernym is another company that provide similar service.
5. Financiación colectiva
A blockchain system that deploys smart-contracts will be able to eliminate the third-party platforms that currently run crowdfunding programs. This will allow the donors and recipients to deal directly with each other as well as save the intermediary fee.
6. Negociación de acciones
Debido a la capacidad de las redes blockchain para verificar y confirmar transacciones rápidamente, tiene el potencial de superar a las plataformas de negociación de acciones actuales al ofrecer una experiencia de negociación mucho más rápida para sus clientes.
Aplicaciones en el sector sanitario
7. Protección de los datos médicos y la privacidad del paciente
With a staggering 176 million+ personal health records being accessed by intruders between 2009-2017,[7] it’s fair to say that data security has become a major concern within the healthcare industry. Blockchain networks’ version of an immutable, decentralized patient detail log would be able to facilitate a significantly better and more secure healthcare database. BurstIQ (en inglés) is one of the companies that heavily research in this area.
8. Avance de la genómica
La genómica es una rama de la biología molecular que estudia la estructura, función, evolución y mapeo de los genomas. A medida que los científicos continúan logrando avances cruciales en este notable campo, los sistemas blockchain pueden ayudarlos proporcionando la infraestructura digital para almacenar miles de millones de datos genéticos. También puede proporcionar mercados de código abierto donde las personas pueden vender su información genética encriptada a los investigadores.
Aplicaciones en la industria manufacturera
9. Supervisión de las cadenas de suministro
The decentralized ledger format can be utilized to track containers during the shipping process. Every crew member in the supply chain has access to the information and they can perform their job accordingly. If used properly in a similar logistical function, this technology can drastically reduce the human effort and paperwork required to complete the task. IBM recently concluded an initial test of the application with favorable results. Cadena de barcos is a company that operate in this space.
10. Internet de las cosas
Internet de las cosas (IoT) se refiere a una red de objetos físicos conectados de forma inalámbrica que pueden compartir datos a través de Internet. La idea de una aplicación de cadena de bloques para verificar la integridad tanto de los datos como de los dispositivos en dicha red es bastante prometedora.
11. 3D impresión
La impresión 3D es una innovación intrigante en sí misma, sin embargo, el uso de un método de cadena de bloques para administrar su cadena de suministro simplemente la lleva al siguiente nivel. La cadena de bloques facilita todas las funciones del proceso sin intermediarios. Desde el cifrado del diseño hasta la negociación de un acuerdo de impresión a través de contratos inteligentes, pasando por la información final del producto y los detalles de propiedad.
Aplicaciones en la educación
12. Facilitar un registro de estudiantes avanzados
Unsurprisingly, blockchain’s components can be harnessed for educational purposes as well. Using the immutable distributed ledger, administrators can establish and manage a database that consists of invaluable academic information on each student. This information can be accessed to identify the problems students experience, and put forth necessary actions or teaching techniques required accordingly. Even further, by using the decentralized structure of the blockchain, this data can be shared among parents, educators, and even multiple schools or universities. Apart from this, student data can be easily verified to ensure the accuracy of each student’s credentials and achievements.
13. Motivar a los estudiantes a través de un sistema de recompensas basado en tokens
Los créditos digitales tokenizados o incluso las criptomonedas pueden utilizarse como incentivos tanto para estudiantes como para profesores para mejorar la moral y avanzar en su potencial académico. Los profesores pueden presentar a los mejores intérpretes con créditos adicionales (digitales) como forma de estímulo y cultivar un entorno de aprendizaje entusiasta.
14. Crear un portafolio de logros educativos
A blockchain network that stores students’ academic accomplishments and merits can help them build a transparent digital CV, which, when presented to a future employer, can be verified by checking with the school or university administrator. APPII is a blockchain-based recruitment platform that allows students to create their portfolios. Once the student enters his or her academic details and milestones, a blockchain network verifies the accuracy of the input credentials, and machine learning is occupied to match the data in the CV to relevant job opportunities.
Aplicaciones en la industria legal
15. Función notarial
Blockchains are a great way to keep track of things over time while preserving original data and transparency, right? So, it is undoubtedly the perfect digital notary. Recording legal documents related to intangible assets like intellectual property, royalties, wills, art, copyright agreements, and patents on a blockchain network would make it extremely easy to confirm and verify the validity of those documents whenever necessary. Stampd.io is a website that allows you to add documents to a crypto blockchain, setting up the chance in the future to prove that it was added by you with an exact timestamp. A non-fungible token (NFT) is one of those modern investment asset class that’s popular among crypto traders these days. Most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain so you need to have some Ethereum in order to get into this kind of investments.
16. Gestión de transacciones inmobiliarias
The information regarding tangible property registration and transfer of ownership rights can be efficiently managed through a blockchain ledger. Since the data stored on the blockchain is fully transparent and immutable, any conflict related to these “smart properties” can quickly be resolved. Propy is a company that utlize blockchain tech in this space.
17. Defensa de los derechos de los trabajadores
According to the International Labor Organization, almost 25 million people work in forced labor around the industry globe. This may soon change for the better, thanks to a bit of help from blockchain technology. The US State Department and Coca-Cola have joined forces to form a blockchain consisting of protocols and smart contracts to verify unacceptable working situations and pressure their respective employers to honor the contracts of those workers[8].
Aplicaciones en varias otras industrias
18. Facilitar el comercio de energía
Energy microgrids built on blockchains can decentralize the production process and ultimately bring down the price of energy drastically. The first real-world experiment was recently conducted in Brooklyn, NY by LO3 energy in collaboration with Siemens[9].
19. Prevención del fraude en el cuentakilómetros
Odometer fraud has been a long-standing issue in the automotive industry. This is when fraudulent dealers mechanically tamper with a car’s odometer and reduce its mileage to make it appear less used, resulting in the customer overpaying for the vehicle. A blockchain-based smart odometer can counter this by consistently recording the vehicle’s mileage in the form of blocks. This would make it impossible to alter the mileage information and give digital quality assurance of the vehicle. This theory has now been adopted by Bosch’s IoT lab, and they have experimented with it on 100 cars across Germany and Switzerland.
20. Garantizar la inocuidad de los alimentos
According to World Health Organization, roughly 420,000 people die each year due to food-borne diseases[10]. This mostly comes down to the difficulty of isolating harmful food. Blockchain method can be implemented to track food from raw materials or harvest to final production, with verified data regarding its whereabouts and condition from farm or factory to kitchen.
21. Facilitar el almacenamiento digital
El almacenamiento en la nube es actualmente la forma más utilizada de almacenamiento de datos. Sin embargo, la configuración centralizada de este software los hace vulnerables a los piratas informáticos. Un host descentralizado que se ejecuta en un servidor de cadena de bloques puede proponerse como una solución viable a este problema.
Resumen
Blockchain – Ascending beyond cryptocurrency: the irreversible, unalterable, unhackable, uncheatable digital revolution of our generation; a pragmatic technology that’s reshaping tomorrow – one block at a time. The future is now.
Comentarios0