In a pandemic era of unprecedented health data collection and surveillance, Singapore is turning to blockchain technology for the infrastructure that can make it work. Government-owned investment firm SGInnovate and Singaporean startup Accredify have jointly developed a new blockchain-powered digital health passport, according to a report on Sept. 30. Development work on the application, which allows personal medical data to be stored in a blockchain-secured digital wallet, began in May. A successful pilot in July showed that the app was capable of managing and verifying digitized healthcare documents — including COVID-19 discharge memos, swab results, immunity proof, and vaccination records …
We are currently living in an unprecedented time, with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the world and taking far too many precious lives. Markets are being decimated and economies are on the brink of a global depression. Doctors, nurses, shopkeepers, pharmacy workers and everyone else working on the front lines will go down in history as the heroes of 2020. COVID-19, although devastating and disruptive, has revealed what can be achieved by humanity when individuals, governments, non-governmental organizations and corporations genuinely work in tandem to find adequate solutions to the most pressing issues. Although trivial in comparison to the devastation that …
Decentralized finance, commonly referred to as DeFi, has grabbed the attention of mainstream financial and technology audiences alike. While the sector has been applauded for bringing about innovative digital finance solutions from lending to payments, progress has been overshadowed by high profile security breaches. Adhering to these security guidelines will ensure that DeFi solutions will be better equipped to offer users a more instant, safe and secure network than traditional banking services. New DeFi market opportunities overshadowed by security threats When governments enforced lockdowns to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the mainstream financial and banking system buckled under the …
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed flaws across various sectors. As a result, a number of government departments are evaluating blockchain-based systems as possible solutions for challenges involving multiparty workflows, record-keeping, transparency and more. For example, the United States Department of Education recently provided funding for the launch of the “Education Blockchain Initiative.” Referred to as the EBI, this project is led by the American Council on Education — an organization that helps the higher education community shape effective public policy — and is designed to identify ways that blockchain can improve data flow between academic institutions and potential employers. Determined …
Governments are now considering tracking online user data as a way to fight the rapid spread of COVID-19. As a result, the question of personal data privacy is increasingly becoming a subject of discussion within the crypto community. On March 17, the Washington Post reported that the United States government was in talks with internet giants like Facebook and Google about using smartphone location data to combat COVID-19. One highlighted tactic includes tracking whether people are self-isolating in a way that successfully stems the outbreak, as has already occured in Israel, China, and Iran. In recent years, leaders in the …