Surveillance usually has negative connotations. Perhaps because it’s associated with authoritarian governments and oppressive regimes. However, the issue isn’t surveillance but the elimination of privacy and personal autonomy. Some experts now believe that blockchain technology could offer a new way to create legitimate surveillance tools without compromising privacy.
Here are the top three examples of this.
Home security cameras
The best example of good surveillance is the baby monitors parents use to keep their children safe at home. These tiny devices help parents monitor their child remotely and step in when there’s an issue. Some even serve as remote communication channels.
However, traditional baby monitors and home cameras are vulnerable to cyber attackers. Two recent attacks terrified parents by making it appear that their baby was missing or by trying to communicate with the baby directly. These vulnerabilities are a key reason many parents avoid surveillance cameras at home.
IoTeX, a tech startup, decided to solve the issue by creating a blockchain-powered security camera. The team’s Ucam handles all video data on the device or a specific mobile phone secured by a blockchain seed phrase. This limits the chances of any third-party attacker gaining access to the device or its data.
COVID-19 test certificates
Tracking COVID-19 vaccine certificates is another example of blockchain tech being used for good surveillance. The government of Maharashtra, a state in India, recently partnered with tech startup Print2Block to issue blockchain-based vaccine certificates. The team’s solution stores all private medical information on the Polygon blockchain network, which means only the citizen can access it, while the government can easily verify it.
This isn’t the only project the team is involved in. Print2Block is working with several other Indian states to track pollution levels, electricity use and disaster relief efforts.
National defense
U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin hopped onto the blockchain bandwagon recently. It partnered with Guardtime Federal to develop software solutions and engineering tools based on blockchain tech. The objective is to allow the Lockheed Martin team to store all weapon’s development data on a secure decentralized ledger so that foriegn governments and bad actors cannot access it.
The tech is also being used to secure Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other military devices deployed in the field across the world. This layer of protection helps the U.S. military gain a strategic advantage in the modern battlefield.
Takeaway
Surveillance tech sounds ominous, but the real concern is authoritarian governments eroding personal privacy. Blockchain technology could provide surveillance tech that strikes an ideal balance between privacy and security.
