The government of Bahrain has stressed the importance of blockchain technology for the country’s economy while urging cybersecurity vigilance, local media outlet News of Bahrain reported Tuesday, September 4. As part of an address to audiences at the country’s SmartSec Cyber Security and Blockchain Conference 2018, Abdulhussain Mirza, Bahrain’s minister of electricity and water affairs, appeared to confirm the government’s commitment to fostering blockchain. “Technologies such as blockchain take us a huge step forward in finding a secure way to facilitate transactions,” Mirza said, adding: “Blockchain’s ability to protect user’s data is a true mark of progress, especially due to …

We're living at a time of unprecedented concern over identity. Fears abound that our personal data is being abused by distant third-parties, while this data has become more valuable to us at a time when our identities and the identity politics we base around them have become more central to our lives. It's in this context that blockchain technology has appeared, and while its application beyond cryptocurrencies is still limited, protecting our online identities and data more securely looks set to be one of its most central applications. In its most basic outline, the use of blockchains in the area …

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts and Smart Dubai have announced their partnership to develop a “Court of the Blockchain,” for streamlining the legal system, local news outlet Arabian Business reports today, July 30. DIFC and Smart Dubai will reportedly explore how the technology could aid verification of court judgements for cross-border enforcement as part of a wider push to create a “blockchain-powered judiciary.” The newly created joint DIFC Courts-Smart Dubai task force believes that the technology could make a wide range of processes within the legal ecosystem more efficient, and will spearhead research into how to handle disputes …

The list of potential uses for blockchain technology span many different sectors with the belief being that almost every facet of life, from finance, technology, economics and sociology, can be disrupted by this decentralized force. However, it is in politics, and especially elections where there is a buzz building about the positive influence blockchain technology can bring to the ballot boxes. Elections have been subject to scrutiny and corruption for so long that many in the tech space, as well as electoral committees are viewing blockchain as the future of fair elections. There have been some use-cases already where blockchain …