Blockchain News focuses on the intersection of blockchain and journalism. It’s a complicated topic, as the technology isn’t just a shiny new thing but also potentially a moment of reckoning for the way tens of thousands of stories are produced, distributed, marketed and listened to every day.
In its most basic terms, blockchain is a system to securely and immutably record data points. The bits of data are packed into small units, called blocks, and strung together in a chain so that their order cannot be changed or tampered with.
This chain is stored on a network of computers that can be accessed by anyone, and any transaction made in the blockchain is instantly and permanently reflected across all those copies. These characteristics make blockchain a potential solution for many scenarios, from timestamping documents to recording voting results, product inventories, state identifications, deeds to homes and more.
For journalists, a blockchain can serve as a secure registrar of important metadata, such as the time and place a story was published, or a tool for filtering and ranking trusted advertising. It can also be used to verify the authenticity of stories, and to protect copyrights.
Journalists will also encounter blockchain in the form of government-deployed networks that secure citizens’ public data and automated workflow solutions like smart contracts. These blockchain-based systems rely on rules codified in computer code to automate processes like closing contracts, settling claims and notarizing documents. They will reconfigure how reporters access and share data.