What is blockchain used for besides bitcoin
What is blockchain used for besides bitcoin article is published in collaboration with The Conversation. But what is stored on the blockchain need not be just a currency unit — it can be put to all manner of other interesting uses. Essentially, by providing a distributed means to guarantee and verify transactions, the blockchain offers the ultimate opportunity to cut out the middleman.
A key aspect is the programmable smart contract: In uses that involve a financial transaction, it makes sense to use bitcoin or some other digital currency for the same reason — by doing so, transactions can be automated and guaranteed without recourse to third parties, such as a bank.
Not all uses involve payments. Is a blockchain marriage legally binding? Many major companies are looking to the blockchain what is blockchain used for besides bitcoin a way to simplify and strengthen supply chainswhere the blockchain could record each step a product has taken.
For example, it could be used to guarantee the origin of foods. In other cases, the blockchain can be used for peer-to-peer exchange or sale. Imagine you have an electric car. When your charger is unused, you what is blockchain used for besides bitcoin rent it out to other car owners, paid in bitcoins via a blockchain smart contract. Another use is automated security, using code embedded on the blockchain to trigger granting or denying access depending on the requester.
One firm supplying this is Slock. The owner can set a deposit amount and a price for renting a property, which the user pays through a blockchain transaction not even Slock is a middlemanwhich permits the user to open and close the smart lock through their smartphone. A radically different application comes from Bitnationa project aimed at using blockchain to decentralise governance. Bitnation is offering victims of the refugee crisis an emergency digital ID and bitcoin-based credit card which can be used to receive funds from family members or friends without bank accounts.
With this it is possible for an individual to prove their existence and identity through family relations cryptographically, recorded on the blockchain like a distributed public ledger. This acts as a sort of international notary public.
Bitnation works by generating a QR code — a barcode — which can be used with a cellphone to apply for a bitcoin credit card which can be used throughout Europe and the UK without a bank account. Australian software firm Edgelogic offers a glimpse of how blockchain technology could be used at home, what is blockchain used for besides bitcoin bridge between digital payments and the Internet of Things.
A digital crypto-currency has just launched that is generated by human movement. These can be spent in an online store, or traded for cash. While some ideas may seem like solutions looking for what is blockchain used for besides bitcoin problem, others are more closely tied to real needs. They redefine what use the blockchain could be put to — eliminating the need for banks, or even for aspects of government.
A Bitcoin virtual currency paper wallet with QR codes and a coin are seen in an illustration. The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
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Decentralising everything A radically different application comes from Bitnationa project aimed at using blockchain to decentralise governance. Blockchain automation Australian software firm Edgelogic offers a glimpse of how blockchain technology could be used at home, a bridge between digital payments and the Internet of Things.
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