INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The blockchain revolution is coming, but you might not see it
That the view ofBrian Behlendorf, executivedirector of the Linux Foundation Hyperledger Project.
Speaking at the TC Sessions: Blockchain
event in Zug, Switzerland,Behlendorf explained that much of the innovation that the introduction of blockchains are primed to happen behind
this the scenes unbeknownst to most.
&For a lot of consumers, you&re not going to realize when the bank or a web form at a government
website or when you go to LinkedIn and start seeing green check marks against people claims that they attended this university — which are
all behind-the-scenes thatwill likely involve blockchain,&Behlendorf told interviewer John Biggs.
&This is a revolution in storage and
networking and consumers.&
As for where blockchain might make a big impact,Behlendorf said he believes that the area of online identity is
particularly ripe for change
Rather than relying on central systems such as Facebook or Twitter to hold information, blockchain solutions can potentially store
information more securely and with more utility thanks to self-sovereign ID systems.
&That what gets me up in the morning more than almost
every other use case,&Behlendorf said
&Ithink we&ve got something of a solutionbut only going to work if the end user experience of managing your identity and your personal data
is made easy and made fluid
It [has to] feel something like your wallet when you pull out your driver license and show it.&
Hyperledger is providing the framework and
tools that the foundation hopes will enable innovation in the blockchain space, andBehlendorf said that it currently has around 10 code
bases, of which two are in production use with eight additional frameworks to build blockchains
He added that there are more options coming, thanks toHyperledger focus on &organic& development ideas.
It might seem like an irony that
blockchain projects, which can raise enormous amounts of money via token sales, are basing the technologies that power their businesses on
open source tools, but Behlendorf said there nothing new in that situation versus how the Linux Foundation traditionally operates.
&There
might be a few developers who get involved to improve their skills and reputation but the vast majority work on it because their business is
investigating it, wantsto use it or to do a pilot, so they have a responsibility to make sure it works,&Behlendorf explained.
&For them,
knowing other companies are using it and making a profit is fine,& he added
&In fact, it a good thing.&
Community spirit is very much the focus, and Hyperledger has had to intervene in the rare cases that members
have taken things too far.
&What you want to protect against is any one company benefitting from the brand or reputation that the community
creates in a way that is unfair
So we do things like we protect the trademark… because that confuses the marketplace,&Behlendorf said.
&But we want to see companies
building services on top of this
In fact, it essential to make this a virtuous circle.&
