Blockchain tech seen as a tool to curb corruption

[webfact]

Blockchain tech seen as a tool to curb corruption

By JINTANA PANYAARVUDH 
THE NATION

 

Patipat Susumpao, the CEO of Open Dream, second from right

 

EXPERTS AND social entrepreneurs have placed high hopes on benefiting from the advanced blockchain technology that would be able to play a major role in curbing corruption and enhancing transparency in social justice.

 

“Blockchain could be used to promote transparency of information for anti-corruption and to increase the power of investigation,” said Torplus Yomnak, founder of Hands Social Enterprise.

 

He was speaking at a seminar last week organised by Thailand Institute of Justice on “Blockchain technology for transparency and accountability”.

 

Torplus, who is a researcher on corruption, suggested that modern technology could be applied in three areas. First, blockchain can be used for government procurement with strong investigation by citizens.

 

Torplus Yomnak, founder of Hands Social Enterprise

 

By doing this, Torplus said, blockchain could be used to manage related information such as procurement and auction-bidding in the server of Comptroller-General’s Department in order to allow associate networks to get access to the information.

 

Blockchain would help facilitate the investigation of concerned agencies and enhance transparency of the government’s procurement process, he pointed out. 

 

Second, the use of blockchain to promote good governance in the private sector.

 

The technology will help the public check the history and the background of a company in order to know its relation with others as well as to consider if there were any risks or credibility issues with the company, he explained.

 

Lastly, it can be used for electronic assets declaration of civil servants and state officers to avoid conflict of interest and non-transparent investigation process.

 

Using blockchain would prevent any errors that could happen when filing papers as well as the erasing of information, he said.

 

Moreover, it would be easier to search for assets and have various ways to investigate the declared assets.

 

For example, it would be able to investigate the changes in the assets over a period of time, or it can analyse if there is any conflict of interest and can check if the assets are in accordance with or reasonable with the owner’s lifestyle.

 

“Technology can fight against corruption but to achieve this the public needs to be alerted in following the investigation and supporting scrutiny that is free from influence,” Torplus said.

 

Blockchain is also able to solve the human trafficking issue and the non-transparent processes in the fishing industry, the seminar was told.

 

Patipat Susumpao, co-founder of Open Dream, a digital-led social enterprise, said his organisation was trying to create a prototype applying blockchain for the fishery industry by tracking the origin of fishes – from where they were caught until they were served on the table.

 

He said Thailand is the world’s leading exporter of canned tuna products but environmental activists said the production process and supply chain in the fishing industry still has problems in terms of transparency.

 

Patipat gave an example of British company Provenance’s pilot project in Indonesia. The British firm uses mobile, blockchain technology and smart tagging to track fish caught by fishermen with verified social sustainability claims. The goal is to stop many of the troubling practices within the illegal fishing industry, including slavery.

 

“Blockchain could help solve this issue as consumers can track where and what they are eating is coming from,” he added.

 

Moreover, the technology could also be used to identify the identity of labour in order to prevent human trafficking and child labour in the industry.

 

Varying advantages

 

The advantage of blockchain technology is how it stores the digital information by utilising computer networks that connect a huge number of computers to store and verify data.

 

The transactions recorded with blockchain will be safely stored with utmost transparency and will be difficult to duplicate or counterfeit.

Though they agreed in general that blockchain was not a universal remedy, participants said there were many benefits to establish the mechanics and a culture of transparency at both the individual and organisational level if it were used appropriately.

 

Because of its ability to act as a decentralised ledger, as a record of any type of transaction that needs a consensus or permission to enter and edit data on the blockchain database, industries from finance to healthcare are adopting it for varying uses.

 

The discussion raised several study cases from many countries and governments around the world which are going digital, embracing blockchain technology to improve their bureaucracies and resolve issues on civil rights and public interests.

 

Estonia uses blockchain to manage the information of identity card and the whole system of the civil rights.

 

South Korea has heavily invested in blockchain technology to promote investigation of their elections.

 

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees uses blockchain to store information on immigrants and also the mechanics of the digital money so the immigrants can use money in everyday life and for food.

 

In the private sector, the diamond industry uses blockchain to record and verify the source of the diamonds at every single step to end the trade in “Blood Diamonds”.

 

In addition, the justice system has kickstarted the development of an application that utilises blockchain to store digitalised evidence in order to reduce exposure to counterfeits and enhance user-friendliness and further develop the use of artificial intelligence in the future.

 

Source" http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30357379

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-29

[Samui Bodoh]

Can 'Blockchain' technology assist in the fight against corruption? Sure. 

 

That said, corruption will still flourish as long as the Human Being, Mark 01 model, continues to be dishonest. And, continues to be able to steal without consequences (a la Thai State-Employee style).

 

Tech is great.

 

Moral, ethical people are better.

 

End of.

 

[zzaa09]

If I'm mistaken, doesn't this lovely technological manner have to be implemented into said systems and society, firstly? 

If it's deemed forbidden by those [establishment, corporate, political worlds] whom might least benefit a/o be suspect, what's the point? 

[a977]

No no no we can't have that, quick convene a committee to recommend to parliament to have blockchain banned along with every other thing that will make the Thai government accountable 

[mikebell]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

it can be used for electronic assets declaration of civil servants and state officers

Will it work in police stations; Land offices; or any offices where the public are required to pay to get public 'servants' to do their job?

[PatOngo]

Forget honesty to curb corruption, there's just not enough to go around! Seems to be an endless supply of greed! 

[geronimo]

having done some research on blockchain technology, I'd say that yes, if implemented correctly, it can go a long way towards curbing high level corruption.

[geronimo]

58 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Will it work in police stations; Land offices; or any offices where the public are required to pay to get public 'servants' to do their job?

the short answer is yes.

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Because of its ability to act as a decentralised ledger,

This is a new solution for a solved problem.   Databases have been able to do similar things for years, as they can sync each other creating decentralization. 

 

Whatever.

 

 

[JAG]

Whilst (as a bear of very little brain) I think I understand the concept behind 'blockchain", and agree that it would hinder, if not prevent corruption, there are two observations:

1) "Thailand is different".

 

2) If the above does not convince, their is always the Computer Crimes Act, and /or defamation...

 

[Cadbury]

1 hour ago, geronimo said:

having done some research on blockchain technology, I'd say that yes, if implemented correctly, it can go a long way towards curbing high level corruption.

I think your operative words here are....."high level corruption" (such as purchasing Rolls-Royce plane engines and high speed trains). 

That will be a single reason alone why politicians and government officials and other big time corrupters will make sure it is not introduced or gets anywhere near their revenue sources.

It is doubtful if Blockchain will have any effect on lesser levels of corruption like the more traditional forms of corruption by the police. 

[Pedrogaz]

I have been told it is way too slow for any broad usage in financial systems. Apparently bitcoin can only process about 60 orders per hour vs hundreds of millions for visa.

The best way to avoid corruption and fraud is to go cash-free and put everything on debit/credit cards so no one can give a bung. Sweden are almost there with over 95% of transactions done on cards....but they had little corruption begin with. It will be more difficult in any country that already has extensive corruption as the government is unlikely to support a cashless society. Whatever the rights and wrongs are, if all transactions are electronic then the potential to bribe, say a politician, becomes much more difficult.

[madmitch]

In a country where Government  offices can't even accept bank transfers, still rely on faxes and require photocopies of minutiae, I'd say that payments using blockchain technology in an attempt to curb corruption is a couple of decades down the line.

[Lupatria]

That raises the question, how much corruption will be involved to purchase and implement the technology?

[Rugon]

What about zcoin and monero, these are private coins?

[geronimo]

17 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I have been told it is way too slow for any broad usage in financial systems. Apparently bitcoin can only process about 60 orders per hour vs hundreds of millions for visa.

The best way to avoid corruption and fraud is to go cash-free and put everything on debit/credit cards so no one can give a bung. Sweden are almost there with over 95% of transactions done on cards....but they had little corruption begin with. It will be more difficult in any country that already has extensive corruption as the government is unlikely to support a cashless society. Whatever the rights and wrongs are, if all transactions are electronic then the potential to bribe, say a politician, becomes much more difficult.

Sure, keep using the cards, and the bankers continue to get their slice of your money. There are no third parties required with Bitcoin, just you and the other party, and what's more, it is anonymous.

[Rugon]

XRP is going to become the world economy, bitcoin is dead.

[geronimo]

1 minute ago, Rugon said:

What about zcoin and monero, these are private coins?

The more, the merrier

[BEngBKK]

I am quite sure 99 % of all brown envelopes contain cash.....

As long as cash, gold etc exists the politicians and police do not need to worry....

[DLock]

A sledgehammer to kill an Ant?

 

There are far simpler and more effective ways to "control" corruption.

 

This is just a technology play for technologists sake.

 

Dumb.

[Cadbury]

5 hours ago, geronimo said:

Sure, keep using the cards, and the bankers continue to get their slice of your money. There are no third parties required with Bitcoin, just you and the other party, and what's more, it is anonymous.

You are certainly right with that comment. That is why is used as the trading currency for criminal transactions on the dark internet.

[kevvy]

This will not work.....In the land office there is 2 kinds of service

1... wait most of the day to be seen

2. Pay 1000 baht and get seen in less than 2 hours .

[DrTuner]

Blockchain is a glorified database. And we know how well Thais handle databases.

[zzaa09]

Ain't the dependent, controlling and overwhelming electronic/computer age grand.

 

Dumbing down continues......unchecked or questioned.

[dirtybirty]

Laugh i nearly pee'd myself. Next

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