15 Jul DHS looking to link to the blockchain
The Department of Homeland Security has stepped up its research and investment into blockchain technologies, as it searches for ways to make the government more secure, accountable, and autonomous.
Public interest in the blockchain from the DHS started in December last year, when it called for small business proposals to research the advantages and disadvantages of the emerging technology. Six months later, it awarded the $200,000 grant to Factom.
Factom is not the only startup working with the DHS on blockchain, Solarity Solutions, Respect Network and Digital Bazaar have also received funding, according to CoinDesk, to research the blockchain.
The DHS also has a Silicon Valley office looking into authentication advantages using the tech pioneered by Bitcoin. Most of the research seems preliminary: separate the fact from fiction, research the technology’s capabilities, report back.