What the Blockchain Could Mean for Democracy in the Digital Age

Blockchain Trust Accelerator co-founder, Daniel Swislow, talks to Medium about the Blockchain Trust Accelerator:

On Monday, the National Democratic Institute joined the Bitfury Group and New America to launch the Blockchain Trust Accelerator, which will work to connect governments with the technologists and resources needed to pilot blockchain applications aimed at enhancing good governance.

The blockchain — which is, briefly put, an incorruptible public ledger made up of data that is stored decentrally, entirely distributed and interconnected (watch this video from our friends at Institute for the Future for a very quick, simple explanation) — is most well known for being the underlying software that was invented to enable the Bitcoin digital currency. While the future of the blockchain is still being written, it’s likely that some primary uses will not even be for currency or financial technology.

Blockchains offer the opportunity to securely record transfers of any type of asset. For democratic institutions, fundamental assets like identity, votes or social services can be captured securely and permanently. Pilot uses of blockchain software that are focused on strengthening democratic accountability are already being implemented around the world. The first initiative of the Blockchain Trust Accelerator was announced in the Republic of Georgia in April, where the government is working with Bitfury to create a blockchain-powered land title database.