Blockchain can improve the protection of police records
At a time when data theft and cybercrime are a serious problem, blockchain, the digital record-keeping technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency networks, is a potential game changer in the wider world. Blockchain can significantly improve protection protocols by enabling fast and cost-effective options for protecting sensitive police records.
Last month, hackers claimed to have stolen the records of a billion Chinese citizens from Shanghai police, which tech experts say, if true, would be one of the biggest data breaches in history.
Similarly, in 2021 hackers claimed to have stolen the data of thousands of police officers in Indonesia.
Even the United States, one of the world’s most technologically advanced nations, was hit last year after the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, fell victim to a ransomware attack on its servers.
Apart from exposing the vulnerability of police records, incidents where these hackers leak sensitive information not only result in a significant loss but also lead to a loss of public trust.
Indeed, maintaining and protecting data about citizens, organizations, assets and activities is a critical government function, but performing it can be complicated.
Blockchain technology can help government agencies simplify the administration, access, use and security of sensitive data. An encrypted digital ledger stored on multiple computers in a public or private network, blockchain combines data records, or “blocks,” into a chain that prevents the alteration or deletion of data by a single actor.
These blocks are verified and managed through automation and shared governance protocols.
By protecting data about who owns, accesses or uses it, blockchain could revolutionize the security of police records. The information technology (IT) departments of public safety agencies can create rules and algorithms that pre-define terms of use for a third party trying to access a set of information residing on a blockchain.
In 2015, hackers breached massive amounts of encrypted data that included personal information, social security numbers, fingerprints, employment history and financial information of around 20 million US citizens who had been subject to a background check by US authorities. Blockchain technology could have prevented such a breach, thanks to features that make tampering with data impossible.
Features such as Keyless Signature Infrastructure (KSI) create hash values, which uniquely represent large amounts of data as smaller numerical values. These hash values can be used to identify records without allowing tampering with information. The values, stored in a blockchain, can then be distributed over a private network of public computers, thus keeping the data safe.
The Swedish government seems to have found the right solution to secure its most sensitive high-stakes data using blockchain. The country is digitizing its land registry, worth NOK 11 trillion ($1.1 trillion), through a mobile app where a blockchain can record detailed information about a sales transaction.
Other government agencies can learn from such efforts to create a secure infrastructure for tracking data access, thereby making it more difficult for unauthorized entities to obtain or manipulate information.
It is clear that blockchain can go a long way in restoring trust in the police and their ability to protect citizens’ data. Police and other government agencies should keep up with the times and recognize the potential for blockchain technology to revolutionize record keeping.
