Blockchain use within Federal Government - (wishful) musings

in #politics7 years ago (edited)

In American politics, the implementation of blockchain tech to optimize certain transaction systems and record keeping in various arms of the gov’t could garner bi-partisan support. It is not in the larger political dialogue at the moment, but it has the potential to be something of a unifier, as those of us who would like to see the optimization of social security payments, veterans benefits, or medicare (to name a few) do not specifically belong to one party. That’s not to say that everyone would be supportive – there are certainly people who would make an argument in favor of the (apparent) stability of existing systems. That opposition is especially important to further unify blockchain advocates.

Personally, my work experience lies mostly in social service non-profits, focusing on the homeless, disenfranchised veterans, and otherwise poorest people in the nation. To put it bluntly, the data used within this space lacks integrity, as does the provision of services. There is so much time that goes into collecting information from recipients or applicants – almost always on paper. It seems as if mistakes or new regulations are made only to demand time or deny a monthly benefit every once and a while. I can’t help but always think that those monthly benefits, that don’t come through for my clients, add up for the state. At the risk of sounding naïve, I once had a lot more faith in the government than I do now – this work is making me cynical – but that’s not meant to sound sad – I like to know the truth.

I realize the private sector will lead the way in showing the capabilities of blockchain, but I don’t want it’s potential use cases within gov’t to be ignored. When services are provided with public funds, the burden of trust should be minimized.

Thank you for reading! Appreciate any feedback/support.

Sort:  

I absolutely think you're onto something. I'm reminded of the accounting capabilities of blockchain that have already been deployed by LBRY to improve music sharing for musicians. The record-keeping capacities of the blockchain has the potential to replace a significant amount of the administrative bloat caused by regulatory capture in the developed world, whether we're talking about social services, health care records, voting, or any other sector that requires ridiculous amounts of paperwork.