US Dept. of Homeland Security Calls on Blockchain Startups for Anti-Forgery Solutions

Published at: Dec. 6, 2018

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking blockchain-based solutions from startups to prevent the forgery and counterfeiting of digital documents, according to a press release published Dec. 4.

According to the release, the request has been published under the aegis of DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate (S&T)’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP). The call is open to startups or small enterprises that have not had a government contract in the past 12 months (totalling $1 million or more) and that have a workforce of under 200 employees. The release links to a detailed solicitation, entitled “Preventing Forgery and Counterfeiting of Certificates and Licenses.”

The solicitation outlines that DHS is interested in possible interoperable implementations of blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) that could serve the “mission needs” of one or more of its programs or components; these include the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The new SVIP call has been released in partnership with all three – the CBP, USCIS, TSA – and is purportedly the first SVIP solicitation to support USCIS use-cases. S&T SVIP Technical Director Anil John issued an official statement in the release, outlining that:

“The broad Homeland Security mission includes the need to issue entitlements, licenses and certifications for a variety of purposes including travel, citizenship, employment eligibility, immigration status and supply chain security. Understanding the feasibility and utility of using Blockchain and [DLT] for the digital issuance of what are currently paper-based credentials is critical to preventing their loss, destruction, forgery and counterfeiting.”

Homeland security use cases are broken down for applicant startups as necessarily pertaining to one of the following six categories: “Identity Documents for Travel, Identity of Organizations and Organizational Delegates, Tribal Identity Documents for Travel, Citizenship, Immigration and Employment Authorization, Cross-Border Oil Import Tracking, [and] Origin of Raw Material Imports.”

Successful participant startups will reportedly receive up to to $800,000 in non-dilutive funding over four phases; the press release notes that participation, however, “does not ensure procurement contracts with DHS or its components.”

As reported this week, DHS issued a pre-solicitation notice for parties to comment and design applications for blockchain forensic analytics in respect to emerging cryptocurrencies. DHS’ proposal called for analytics solutions for privacy-oriented altcoins such as Zcash and Monero in particular.

Tags
Adoption
Blockchain
United States
Government
Related Posts
Major US Health IT Provider HMS Partners With Blockchain Startup Solve.Care
Major health information technology provider for the United States government, HMS Technologies Inc. (HMS) has partnered with blockchain startup Solve.Care. The development was announced in a press release shared with Cointelegraph on April 22. As part of the collaboration, HMS will reportedly integrate Solve.Care’s blockchain platform into their federal health information technology (HIT) initiatives in a bid to reduce government healthcare costs and improve interoperability and accessibility. Bill Kirkpatrick, CEO of HMS, said that the partnership will “enable disparate HIT applications to share secured health data via patient authorized access using unsecured Internet connectivity, improving care coordination while enhancing digital …
Adoption / April 22, 2019
Argentina’s Dep. Finance Minister: Crypto Adoption Could Reduce Demand for US Dollar
Huobi Group CEO Leon Li met with senior Argentinian finance officials this week to discuss the role of blockchain and crypto in the country’s economy, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph on March 29. In a meeting in Beijing, Argentina’s Deputy Minister of Finance, Felix Martin Soto, claimed that the government should address crypto and blockchain tech as a way to promote Argentina’s financial inclusion and reduce state costs. Soto, who leads Argentina’s international financial relations, explained that half of the country’s population does not have bank accounts and operate cash transactions by converting their savings to United …
Adoption / March 29, 2019
US State of Connecticut Introduces Bill to Authorize Smart Contract Use in Commerce
A committee of the Connecticut state legislature has proposed to authorize the use of smart contracts in commerce in the state, according to official documentation introduced on March 7. The Commerce Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) has introduced House Bill 7310, suggesting that blockchain-powered smart contracts may be used in commerce conducted or initiated in the United States state of Connecticut. The committee elaborated that any cryptographic signature or a record secured through distributed ledger technology (DLT) should be considered to be in an electronic form and an electronic record. The CGA Commerce Committee emphasized that no smart …
Adoption / March 8, 2019
UK-Based Industry Group Develops Blockchain Tool to Track Firms' Sustainable Commitments
A U.K.-based industry body for the responsible finance sector revealed plans to introduce a blockchain tool to monitor firms’ sustainable commitments, Reuters reports Wednesday, Oct. 17. The Responsible Finance & Investment (RFI) Foundation is developing a blockchain-powered tool to track companies’ sustainable commitments and to detect those entities who do not comply with their ethical credentials. The new system is expected to enable the industry group to reduce so-called “greenwashing,” a practice that implies firms claiming that they are more ethical or ecologically friendly than they are in fact. The RFI Foundation’s initiative comes as a part of a plan …
Adoption / Oct. 17, 2018
US Senator Hagerty to CFPB Director: Don’t Stifle Crypto Innovation
U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-VA), who was elected in 2020 to represent Tennessee after a stint as Ambassador to Japan, spoke to newly appointed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra regarding cryptocurrencies in a banking committee hearing, saying “I just want to make certain as you exercise those oversight responsibilities that we don't stifle innovation in this arena.” “Digital ledger technology offers a tremendous amount of promise in terms of financial innovation and inclusion. It’s an industry where I think the United States is leading, has led, and I’d like to see us continue to lead there. Especially when …
Adoption / Oct. 29, 2021