BlockchainS&T's Blockchain Program Focuses on Security, Privacy, Interoperability, Standards

There has been a lot of buzz lately about how Blockchain will revolutionize the secure transfer of information. However, many are still unclear on exactly what Blockchain is, where its applications can be used and how the leaders in the field will be able to deliver usable software to potential buyers.

As an emerging tech trend, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has been tracking Blockchain’s birth, development and progress for years. S&T was particularly interested because of the potential for building resilience into digital transaction systems.

S&T says that by understanding its potential applications and impact, and setting universal standards for usage, S&T is paving the way for multiple agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and others to successfully and easily integrate Blockchain into their mission. 

As the DHS science advisor, S&T keeps its finger on the pulse of emerging technologies. When the assessment is made that the time is right, S&T may even offer assistance to industry to help the tech both achieve its full potential and reach perspective government buyers and users. That is exactly what happened with Blockchain.

What is Blockchain?
Blockchain first gained wide notoriety as the system that runs the Bitcoin digital currency transaction confirmation process.

What makes it so different from previous models is that each transaction of the digital monies forms a new “block” in a public ledger. The ledger is transparent and communally verifiable within an open and shared database. As a shared, synchronized and geographically disbursed database, with no centralized data storage, the system is designed to remove the “single point of failure” risk (including technical malfunction and malicious alteration) that is present in many other systems.  

One of the other key differentiators from previous structures is that since it is a “distributed electronic ledger,” if one wants to track the historical transactions of a specific unit of currency (or data) from its introduction into the system until a specific date, that can be done and verified by multiple independent users. The blocks form an unbroken “chain” that acts as a visible digital paper trail.

So far, Blockchain has proven extremely resistant to any type of hacking or alteration, and that makes it especially attractive for Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) uses.