First US Election Secured with Bitcoin Blockchain: Revolution or Risk?
In a groundbreaking move, Screven County in the US state of Georgia has used the Bitcoin blockchain to secure its election results. This innovative measure, utilized for the first time in a US election, aims to prevent voter fraud and strengthen voter confidence. Supported by the company Simple Proof, a protocol was used to immutably record information on the blockchain.
According to Coin Kurier (https://www.coinkurier.de/erstmals-us-wahl-mit-bitcoin-blockchain-gesichert-revolution-oder-risiko/), this technological revolution could be a trailblazer for future elections. The implementation was carried out in collaboration with the company Simple Proof and used the OpenTimestamps protocol, which stores data based on hashes. Stacy Scott Mincey, the election supervisor for Screven County, explained her motivation behind this innovative approach to Forbes.
Carlos Toriello from Simple Proof also reported to Forbes about this significant advancement: “Block number 869,047 is the first block in the Bitcoin blockchain to contain a record of the US election.” Interestingly, since this technological innovation, the value of Bitcoin has increased significantly, possibly fueling investor interest.
This development signals a growing interest in blockchain technology beyond the financial sector and demonstrates its potential as a secure database structure for socially critical applications like elections. However, it remains to be seen whether such systems can be practically implemented worldwide and what legal frameworks will be necessary.
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