Monthly Archives: November 2019

10 Signs Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Is Ripping Off Harry Potter – WhatCulture

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The story of cinemas most iconic family will finallybe concluding this fall. Star Wars Episode 9 will be hitting cinemas in December and with it, the Skywalker saga delivers its long, long awaited encore. As pre-sales figuressurpass even Avengers Endgame, the hype train is at warp speed, and theexcitement so thick you can cut it with a lightsaber.

However, the more we delve into the stream oftrailers, TV spots and other juicy bits of information, the more it all starts toring a bell... a magical bell. It has been eight years since we saw Harry Potter casthis last Expelliarmus, but his influence has clearly spread far and wide. Allthe way to a galaxy far, far away.

Be it spiritually connected characters or an evil manssupposed quest for immortality, a lot of the challenges facing Rey and co. inthe heavily anticipated finale are shaping up to reflect things Harry andhis friends went through during their own crusade against the dark side.

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10 Signs Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Is Ripping Off Harry Potter - WhatCulture

Commentary: When is it okay to use the CGI of dead actors in new movies? – CNA

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MELBOURNE: To be dead, wrote the 20th century French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, is to be a prey for the living.Even Sartre, though, would have struggled to imagine casting James Dean in a movie 64 years after the actors death.

The curious announcement that Dean, who died in a car crash in 1955 having made just three films, will star in a movie adaptation of Gareth Crockers Vietnam War novel Finding Jack, has been met with outrage.

It would be a remarkable CGI achievement for any studio to resurrect an actor who has been dead since the Eisenhower administration.

True, the Star Wars movie Rogue One featured the late Peter Cushing reprising his role as Grand Moff Tarkin. But the new role given to Dean would reportedly be far larger and more complex. Cushing, at least, had already played Tarkin while he was alive.

In Finding Jack, James Dean will supposedly be starring in a film based on a novel written 80 years after he was born, set near the end of a war that started after he died. He will reportedly be reanimated via full body CGI using actual footage and photos; another actor will voice him.

The reaction to this goes beyond mere scepticism, however. Nor is it simply the now-familiar post-truth anxiety about no longer being able to tell whats real and what isnt. The rise of deepfakes presents a much greater threat on that front than bringing dead actors back to life.

RECKONING WITH THE DIGITAL DEAD

Whats at work here is another pervasive challenge of the online era: How we should live with the digital dead.

People die online every day. Social media is increasingly full of electric corpses; at some point the dead will outnumber the living on platforms like Facebook.

This already poses a range of ethical and practical problems. Some of these are the subject of an Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry into how we should deal with the digital assets of the dead and incapacitated.

These issues only get thornier once you add in the prospect of reanimation. For most of this decade, digital immortality was confined to press releases and fiction.

A string of start-ups promised breathlessly to let you cheat death via AI-driven avatars, only to disappear when it became clear their taglines were better than their products. The Twitter app LivesOns When your heart stops beating, youll keep tweeting was undeniably clever.

Be Right Back,a 2013 episode of the TV series Black Mirror, imagined a young woman who signs up for a service that brings her dead partner back to life using his social media footprint: First as a chat bot, then as a phone-based voice simulator, and finally as a lifelike automaton. It was brilliant, bleak television, but thankfully, it wasnt real.

Then in late 2015, 34-year-old Roman Mazurenko died in an accident in Moscow. As a tribute, his best friend, fellow tech entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda, built the texts Mazurenko had sent her into a chat bot.

You can download Roman Mazurenko right now, wherever you get your apps, and talk to a dead man. Internet immortality might not be here yet, not quite, but its unsettlingly close.

WHY WE FEAR DEATH

Sadly, its not an immortality we look forward to. When we fear death, one thing we particularly dread is the end of first-person experience.

Think of the experience youre having reading this commentary. Someone else could be reading exactly the same words at the same time. But their experience will lack whatever it is that makes this your experience.

Thats what scares us: If you die, that quality, what its like to be you, wont exist anymore.

But what about living on for other people? The Mazurenko bot is clearly a work of mourning, and a work of love.

Remembering the dead, wrote Soren Kierkegaard, is the freest and most unselfish work of love, for the dead can neither force us to remember them nor reward us for doing so.

But memory is fragile and attention is fickle.

BETWEEN REMEMBRANCE AND EXPLOITATION

It seems reasonable that we might use our new toys to help the dead linger in the lifeworld, to escape oblivion a little longer. The danger, as the philosopher Adam Buben put it, is that memorialisation could slip into replacement.

An interactive avatar of the dead might simply become a stopgap, something you use to fill part of the hole the dead leave in our lives. That risks turning the dead into yet another resource for the living. The line between remembrance and exploitation is surprisingly porous.

That is whats ultimately troubling about resurrecting James Dean. To watch a James Dean movie is to encounter, in some palpable way, the concrete person. Something of the face-to-face encounter survives the mediation of lens, celluloid and screen.

To make a new James Dean movie is something else. Its to use the visual remains of Dean as a workable resource instead of letting him be who he is.

Worse, it suggests that James Dean can be replaced, just as algorithm-driven avatars might come to replace, rather than simply commemorate, the dead.

Well know in time whether Finding Jack can live up to its likely premature hype. Even if it doesnt, the need to think about how we protect the dead from our digital predations isnt going away.

Patrick Stokes is an associate professor of philosophy in Deakin University. This article first appeared on The Conversation.

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Commentary: When is it okay to use the CGI of dead actors in new movies? - CNA

What it means to be a cyborg in 2019 – Quartz

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I have a four-foot-tall robot in my house that plays with my kids. Its name is Jethro.

Both my daughters, aged 5 and 9, are so enamored with Jethro that they have each asked to marry it. For fun, my wife and I put on mock weddings. Despite the robot being mainly for entertainment, its very basic artificial intelligence can perform thousands of functions, including dance and teach karate, which my kids love.

The most important thing Jethro has taught my kids is that its totally normal to have a walking, talking machine around the house that you can hang out with whenever you want to.

Given my daughters semi-regular use of smartphones and tablets, I have to wonder how this will affect them in the future. Will they have any fear of technologies like driverless cars? Will they take it for granted that machine intelligences and avatars on computers can be their best friends, or even their bosses?

Will marrying a super-intelligent robot in 20 years be a natural decision? Even though I love technology, Im not sure how I would feel about having a robot-in-law. But my kids might think nothing of it.

This is my story of transhumanism.

Courtesy of Zoltan Istvan

My transhumanism journey began in 2003 when I was reporting a story for National Geographic in Vietnams demilitarized zone and I almost stepped on a landmine.

I remember my guide roughly shoving me aside and pointing to the metal object half sticking out of the ground in front of me.

I stared at the device that would have completely blown my legs off had my boot tripped the mine. I had just turned 30. The experience left me shaken. And it kept haunting me.

That night as I lay tense and awake in my hotel room, I had the epiphany that has helped define the rest of my life: I decided that the most important thing in my existence was to fight for survival. To put it another way: My goal was to never die.

Because I was not religious, I immediately turned to the thing that gave meaning to my world: science and technology. I took a leap of faith and made a wager that day. I later called this (and even later, dedicated a book to it) the transhumanist wager.

The life extension business of transhumanism will be a $600 billion industry by 2025.

My idea for an immortality wager came from Pascals Wager, the famous bet that caught on in the 17th century that loosely argued it was better to believe in God than not to, because you would be granted an afterlife if there was indeed a God. My transhumanist wager was based in my belief that its better to dedicate our resources to science and technology to overcome death while were still aliveso we dont ever have to find out whether there is an afterlife or not. It turns out I wasnt alone in my passion to live indefinitely through science. A small social movement, mostly of academics and researchers, were tackling similar issues, starting organizations, and funding research.

Some of them called themselves transhumanists.

Fast-forward 16 years from my landmine incident, and transhumanism has grown way beyond its main mission of just overcoming death with science.

Now the movement is the de facto philosophy (maybe even the religion) of Silicon Valley. It encapsulates numerous futurist fields: singularitarianism, cyborgism, cryonics, genetic editing, robotics, AI, biohacking, and others.

Biohacking in particular has taken offthe practice of physically hacking ones body with science, changing and augmenting our physiology the same way computer hackers would infiltrate a mainframe.

Its pretty obvious why it has emerged as such a big trend: It attracts the youth.

Not surprisingly, worrying about death is something that older people usually do (and, apparently, those younger people who almost step on landmines). Most young people feel invincible. But tell young people they can take brain drugs called nootropics that make them super smart, or give them special eye drops that let them see in the dark, or give them a chip implant that enhances human ability (like the one I have), and a lot of young people will go for it.

In 2016, I ran for the US presidency as the Transhumanist Party nominee. To get support from younger biohackers, my team and I journeyed on the Immortality Busmy 38-foot coffin-shaped campaign busto Grindfest, the major annual biohacking meet-up in Tehachapi, California. In an old dentists chair in a garage, biohackers injected me with a horse syringe containing a small radio-frequency-identification implant that uses near-field communication technologythe same wireless frequency used in most smartphones. The tiny deviceits about the size of a grain of ricewas placed just under the skin in my hand. With my chip, I could start a car, pay with bitcoin, and open my front door with a lock reader.

Four years later, I still have the implant and use it almost every day. For surfers or joggers like myself, for example, its great because I dont have to carry keys around.

One thing I do have to navigate is how some religious people view me once they understand I have one. Evangelical Christians have told me that an implant is the mark of the beast, as in from the Bibles Book of Revelations.

Even though Im tagged by conspiracy theorists as a potential contender for the Antichrist, I cant think of any negatives in my own experiences to having a chip implant. But as my work in transhumanism has reached from the US Military to the World Bank to many of the worlds most well-known universities, my chip implant only exasperates this conspiracy.

While people often want to know what other things Ive done to my body, in reality becoming a cyborg is a lot less futuristic and drastic than people think.

For me and for the thousands of people around the world who have implants, its all about functionality. An implant simply makes our lives easier and more efficient. Mine also sends out pre-written text messages when peoples phones come within a few feet of me, which is a fun party trick.

But frankly, a lot of the most transformative technology is still being developed, and if youre healthy like me, theres really not much benefit in doing a lot of biohacking today.

I take nootropics for better brain memory, but theres no conclusive research I know of that it actually works yet. Ive done some brainwave therapy, sometimes called direct neurofeedback, or biofeedback, but I didnt see any lasting changes. I fly drones for fun, and of course I also have Jethro, our family robot.

For the most part, members of the disabled community are the ones who are truly benefiting from transhumanist technologies today. If you have an arm shot off in a war, its cyborg science that gives you a robot arm controlled by your neural system that allows you to grab a beer, play the piano, or shake someones hand again.

But much more dramatic technology is soon to come. And the hope is that it will be availableand accessibleto everyone.

I asked to be added to a volunteer list for an experiment that will place implants in peoples brains that would allow us to communicate telepathically, using AI. (Biohacking trials like this are secretive because they are coming under more intense legal scrutiny.)Im also looking into getting a facial recognition security system for my home. I might even get a pet dog robot; these have become incredibly sophisticated, have fur softer than the real thing (that doesnt shed all over your couch or trigger allergies) and can even act as security systems.

Beyond that, people are using stem cells to grow new teeth, genetic editing to create designer babies, and exoskeleton technology that will likely allow a human to run on water in the near future.

Most people generally focus on one aspect of transhumanism, like just biohacking, or just AI, or just brainwave-tech devices. But I like to try it all, embrace it all, and support it all. Whatever new transhumanist direction technology takes, I try to take it all in and embrace the innovation.

This multi-faceted approach has worked well in helping me build a bridge connecting the various industries and factions of the transhumanist movement. Its what inspired me to launch presidential and California gubernatorial campaigns on a transhumanist platform. Now Im embarking on a new campaign in 2020 for US president as a Republican, hoping to get conservatives to become more open-minded about the future.

The amount of money flowing into transhumanist projects is growing into many billions of dollars. The life extension business of transhumanism will be a $600 billion industry by 2025, according to Bank of America. This is no time for transhumanism to break apart into many different divisions, and its no time to butt heads. We need to unite in our aim to truly change the human being forever.

Transhumanistsit doesnt matter what kind you arebelieve they can be more than just human. The word natural is not in our vocabulary. Theres only what transhumanists can do with the tools of science and technology they create. That is our great calling: to evolve the human being into something better than it is.

Because transhumanism has grown so broadly by now, not all transhumanists agree with me on substantially changing the human being. Some believe we should only use technology to eliminate suffering in our lives. Religious transhumanists believe we should use brain implants and virtual reality to improves our morality and religious behavior. Others tell me politics and transhumanism should never mix, and we must always keep science out of the hands of the government.

We need unity of some significant sort because as we grow at such a fast rate there are a lot of challenges ahead. For example, the conservative Christian Right wants to enact moratoriums against transhumanism. The anarcho-primativists, led by people like the primitivist philosopher and author John Zerzan (who I debated once at Stanford University), want to eliminate much technology and go back to a hunting-gathering lifestyle which they believe is more in tune with Earths original ecology. And finally, we must be careful that the so-called one percent doesnt take transhumanist technology and leave us all in the dust, by becoming gods themselves with radical tech and not sharing the benefits with humanity.

I personally believe the largest danger of the transhumanist era is the fact that within a few decades, we will have created super-intelligent AI. What if this new entity simply decides it doesnt like humans? If something is more sophisticated, powerful, intelligent, and resilient than humans, we will have a hard time stopping it if it wants to harm or eliminate us.

Whatever happens in the future, we must take greater care than we ever have before as our species enters the transhumanist age. For the first time, we are on the verge of transforming the physical structure of our bodies and our brains. And we are inventing machines that could end up being more intelligent and powerful than we are. This type of change requires that not only governments act together, but also cultures, religions, and humanity as a whole.

In the end, I believe that a lot more people will be on board with transhumanism than admit it. Nearly all of us want to eliminate disease, protect our families from death, and create a better path and purpose for science and technology.

But I also realize that this must be done ever so delicately, so as not to prematurely push our species into crisis with our unbridled arrogance. One day, we humans may look back and revel in how far our species has evolvedinto undying mammals, cyborgs, robots, and even pure living data. And the most important part will be to be able to look back and know we didnt destroy ourselves to get there.

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What it means to be a cyborg in 2019 - Quartz

Nanotech Suggests To Have Found A Way To Combat Age Related Diseases – Anti Aging News

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NaNotics, in another breakthrough, is promising a new kind of medication, and suggests to have found a way to combat age related diseases; boldly going where no nanotech has gone before.

Lou Hawthorne of NaNotics, LLC opened his presentation at a recent longevity investor event using a clip from Star Trek that shows captain Kirk being giving a shot that restores him to his younger years.

Its tempting to assume its a drug, but what if the content of that syringe was something new? NaNotics CEO Hawthorne asked. NaNots are a new class of medicine. They are engineered to do just one thing and thats the holy grail of medicine design, because most drugs do two things: something you want them to do, and something you dont. In other words, side effects.

NanNots are targeting signal molecules that trigger diseases and aging rather than targeting cells, and a NaNot comprises a biocompatible core which is a bonded capture agent with an affinity for the target, bound underneath a porous outer shield.

This nanotechnology is of great value because of their ability to target only the soluble rather than membrane forms of pathogenic molecular targets. Hawthorne says that it is very difficult to engineer a drug which can do this because the two target forms are biochemically identical, resulting in very different effects on the body. NaNots, however, rely on geometry, which enables them to distinguish between soluble and membrane forms.

This ability helps to avoid side effects which Hawthorne demonstrated by using the example of soluble and membrane forms of the T Cell inhibitor PD-L1; on a cancer cell PD-L1 works by ligating the inhibitory receptor PD-1 and sending the T-cell into cellular hibernation. Antibodies that are able to block this inhibitory pathway between immune cells and cancer cells represent one of the top drug categories worth over $20 billion a year.

Critical cells in the body including heart, lung, and colon cells use membrane PD-L1 to block T-cell attack; when antibodies block this they produce side effects such as pneumonitis or colitis depending on which organ has been affected.

SPD-L1 is the soluble form of PD-L1, this is elevated in 12 of 19 of the most common types of cancer, and it is bioactive while ligating PD-L1 just as effectively as membrane PD-L1. Additionally it binds and neutralises drugs against PD-L1 to reduce their efficacy.

Nanobots can be developed to be specific to sPD-L1 which can be used either as a monotherapy or as an adjunct treatment with existing cancer drugs as they can help to improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce toxicity by lowering the required dosage of drugs. Treatment is fast acting because NaNots have a 90% or greater target depletion capacity in under 5 minute with no post injection loss of responsiveness. NaNot shielding can also prevent B-cells from interacting with capture agents and prevents formation of anti-drug antibodies; the shielding and use of biocompatible material suggests the tech should be safe even at 50-100 times the clinical dose.

The company is developing a toolkit which is hard to place a valuation on, but they suggest that the technology has a 10% rate of adjunctive use for cancers which could be worth $2 billion. This development is part of an increasing nanohealth market that has potential for a vast scope of growth over the coming years. Investors are already beginning to flood into the market space, who are attracted by the idea of supporting the next big breakthrough. NaNotics thinks they have developed a technology with the potential to revolutionise medication and therapy for age related diseases.

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Nanotech Suggests To Have Found A Way To Combat Age Related Diseases - Anti Aging News

These All-Season Nanotech Shoes Can Truly Withstand the Elements – Gadget Flow

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Imagine going on your adventures with the comfort of a slipper but with the durability of a boot. Thats exactly what you get with the V-Tex All-Season Nanotech Shoes. With 12 different features, youll never want to take off these impressive shoes. Resistant to cold temperatures, waterproof, and sand-proof, theyre perfect for everything from the beach to the mountains. Theyre even wind-proof and heat-resistant. For those who are always on the go, theyre totally breathable, stain-proof, and antibacterial to keep you looking (and smelling) your best. So, how do these shoes do it? This is all thanks to their advanced nanotech knit material. Pairing with a cloud-like sole, the V-Tex Shoes remain superbly lightweight as they cushion your every step. From winter through the summer, the V-Tex Shoes come in high top and low top options as well as nine different colors.

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These All-Season Nanotech Shoes Can Truly Withstand the Elements - Gadget Flow

Global Silver Inks and Pastes Market 2019 – Advanced Nano Products, Cima NanoTech, Creative Materials – Hitz Dairies

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GlobalSilver Inks and PastesMarket report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Silver Inks and Pastes industry with a focus on the market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Silver Inks and Pastes manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2014-2025 covering all important parameters. The report covers various components like Silver Inks and Pastes improvement status, respect chain study, and Silver Inks and Pastes industry view structure are offered in this report. The check investigation identified with global Silver Inks and Pastes industry is conveyed out in this report.

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Global Silver Inks and Pastes Market 2019 - Advanced Nano Products, Cima NanoTech, Creative Materials - Hitz Dairies

Biomedical Nanotechnology Market 2026 Report Outlining the Current State of the Market along with key players such as Advanced Diamond Technologies…

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Biomedical Nanotechnology Market 2026 Report Outlining the Current State of the Market along with key players such as Advanced Diamond Technologies...

Tracks of the week reviewed: Lauryn Hill, Grimes, Pet Shop Boys – The Guardian

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Lauryn Hill Guarding the Gates

Everybody wants to know, what youre gonna do, where you going to. Yes, Lauryn, probably because theyre making a seven-part Netflix biopic about you - or more specificially, the whole sad cavalcade that has dogged the biggest talent of 1998. It is jarring to hear her as she is now singing with the weathered drawl of a woman with a Wikipedia subhead for Further Activities and Imprisonment. However, this lost soul howling into the storm still sounds as though she never let the fire die. After all, as she sings: You can laugh at me. But Im in love. Dont you wish you had been in love?

It is now evident that Beck achieved his final form on Sea Change. Peel back the onion of weird-folk, slack-rock, sex-funk, alt-hop, and underneath is just a gelatinous cube of singer-songwriter. Who knows why it happened, but somewhere along the line we have come to expect the same from him as we do from a late-period Springsteen: 1,700 warm words in Uncut that equate to perfectly serviceable modern rock songs.

Featuring Bernard Butler, it says here, but as Bernard seems to be doing nothing more than strumming open chords, thats a bit like getting Andr the Giant to open your pickle jars. One of those plangent, world-weary shuffling ones Tennant and Lowe seem to think we all expect from them, and more autumnal than seasonal affective disorder.

KSI has recruited Rick Ross and its not immediately clear who is doing whom a favour. In 2019, what do big-time rappers think when they get the call to guest on YouTubers tracks? Now that the game is Fifa on Twitch and some kind of food challenge, is Rick simply grateful for the exposure? I mean, theres everyday hustlin and then there is being the icing on someone elses vanity-rap career.

The Pixie Enya Chillout Room is open. When reports of the musicians new daily routine began filtering through this summer flotation tanks, sword fighting, an alphabet soup of nootropics it sounded as though she was having a creative breakdown. Turns out she was just becoming bulletproof. Heavy is the size of it: all this ethereal nonnying would sound trite if it werent welded to such a dense, sleek groove.

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Tracks of the week reviewed: Lauryn Hill, Grimes, Pet Shop Boys - The Guardian

Blockchain in Healthcare Will Live Up to the Hype Versus Reality for Stakeholders – PRNewswire

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"Health insurance payers, providers, and pharma companies are expected to adopt blockchain systems ahead of other healthcare industry stakeholders," said Kamaljit Behera, Senior Industry Analyst, Transformational Health. "In the future, distributed ledger technology (DLT) will be leveraged by telehealth vendors and tech giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to monetize data science and analytical services with innovative patient-centric care models."

Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Global Blockchain Technology Market in the Healthcare Industry, 20182022, examines key growth opportunities and highlights key success factors and strategic imperatives for blockchain commercial deployment consideration in the healthcare space by assessing commercial partnerships. It also analyzes best-practice case studies for the identified growth opportunities.

For further information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/3w3.

In an emerging marketplace, the most successful blockchain technology providers will be those that:

Global Blockchain Technology Market in the Healthcare Industry, 20182022is part of Frost & Sullivan's global Life Sciences Growth Partnership Service program.

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Global Blockchain Technology Market in the Healthcare Industry, 20182022K31A-52

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Blockchain in Healthcare Will Live Up to the Hype Versus Reality for Stakeholders - PRNewswire

89% of Chinese Blockchain Firms Have Tried to Issue Crypto: Report – Cointelegraph

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89% of Chinas blockchain firms have allegedly tried to create their own cryptocurrency, according to a senior exec at a local blockchain association.

According to the state-run CCTV on Nov. 21, Yedong Zhu, the president of the Beijing Blockchain Technology Application Association (BBAA), revealed that the vast majority of blockchain industry in China is focused on tokens, not blockchain.

In addition to Zhus remarks, the report by CCTV covered a new study led by the Peoples Bank of China (PBoC).

Co-authored by five local financial and technology authorities, the Bluebook on Blockchain report reveals that there are 28,000 blockchain enterprises in China.

The authors of the bluebook included the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Payment and Clearing Association of China, the Beijing Blockchain Technology Application Association and Social Sciences Academic Press.

According to the BBAA president, only 4,000 Chinese blockchain companies are focused on pure blockchain technology, while as many as 25,000 have purportedly tried to issue their own cryptocurrency or token.

The news comes amidst the recently sparked Chinese push into blockchain technology development, which was triggered by President Xi Jinpings call to embrace blockchain in October.

The push was accompanied by a renewed wave of pressure on local crypto-related businesses. On Nov. 21, the PBoC's Shanghai unit announced it was taking action against entities allegedly involved in trading cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC). On Nov. 22, authorities in Shenzhen province claimed that 39 exchanges fell afoul of Chinas cryptocurrency trading ban.

State-led publications have emphasized that the countrys blockchain push should be limited purely to blockchain technology, and not include cryptocurrency-related initiatives.

The majority of such companies are located in the Guangdong and Shenzhen provinces.

Additionally, the report claims that the scales of the black industry associated with online fraud in China has reached 100 billion Chinese yuan ($15.6 billion.)

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89% of Chinese Blockchain Firms Have Tried to Issue Crypto: Report - Cointelegraph

Blockchain Basics: What GCs Need to Know About the Disruptive Technology – Lexology

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By: Iohann Le Frapper, group general counsel of Pierre Fabre and previously chair of the global board of directors of the Association of Corporate Counsel, and Dario de Martino, M&A and private equity partner and co-chair of Blockchain Practice at Morrison & Foerster LLP

Blockchain technology has been heralded as the great disrupter. From transforming a corporations supply chain to securing intellectual property rights or transferring anything of value such as intangible or real estate assets, blockchain technologys uses are numerous and have now moved beyond pilot/proof-of-concept stages to actual commercial use cases.

On May 23, 2019, Iohann Le Frapper, group general counsel at Pierre Fabre Group, and Dario de Martino, partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP and co-chair of the firms blockchain group, spoke at a roundtable discussion during the ACC Global GC Summit in London, to assist general counsel understand this exciting new technology and the challenges to address in several industries. The speakers focused on cutting through the hype surrounding blockchain technology and delved into where blockchain is ready for adoption at a corporate level (e.g., in supply chain management and compliance).

Their most important conclusion was that by understanding the legal, technical, and business issues underpinning the adoption of blockchain technology, GCs can take a leading role in contributing to more agile business operations, digital transformation, and the related paperless cost-efficiencies.

For those who might have missed the event, the following provides an overview of the discussion with select updates to reflect the timeliness of a rapidly evolving market. This overview has been compiled into a three-part series, each addressing the big questions that GCs need to be prepared to answer.

What is blockchain for someone with no computer science background?

Blockchain technology became popular in late 2009 with the rise of Bitcoin, perhaps the most notorious application of the technology. Fundamentally, blockchain is an umbrella term that refers to a data structure that makes it possible to create a tamper-proof, distributed, peer-to-peer system of ledgers containing immutable, time-stamped, and cryptographically connected blocks of data.

In practice, this means that data can be written only once onto a ledger which is then read-only for every user. However, many of the most used blockchain protocols, for example, the Bitcoin or Ethereum networks, maintain and update these distributed ledgers in a decentralized manner, which stands in contrast to traditional networks reliant on a trusted, centralized data repository. In structuring the network this way, these mechanisms function to remove the need for a trusted third party to handle and store the transaction data.

Instead, the data are distributed so that every user has access to the same information at the same time. In order to update that ledgers distributed information, the network employs pre-defined consensus mechanisms and military-grade cryptography to prevent malicious actors from going back and retroactively editing or tampering with the information previously recorded on it.

What is the difference between a public and private blockchain?

Depending on the objectives of a given project, blockchains can be structured so that they are public, private, or a hybrid. Public blockchains are large distributed networks based on open-source code that are developed and maintained by an online and dedicated community of users. Some of the most well-known public blockchains include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Stellar.

In these networks, there are no restrictions on who can participate, so anybody can read transaction records, write data, and in certain networks such as Bitcoins, validate transactions with a practice known as mining, in exchange for cryptocurrency or another digital token reward. In public networks, this decentralizing feature of blockchain comes with significant resource and processing drawbacks.

Many blockchain-enabled platforms run very slowly and have interoperability and scalability issues, and they tend to require massive amounts of energy to function. For example, the Bitcoin network requires the expenditure of about 50 terawatt hours per year equivalent to the energy needs of the entire country of Singapore.

When other cryptocurrencies based on similar validation models are factored in, it turns out that it takes roughly the same amount of energy to mine one dollars worth of precious metals like gold as it does to mine one dollars worth of virtual currency. While networks such as Ethereum are moving away from energy-intensive consensus and validation models, the process remains slow and the need for a more eco-friendly deployment of blockchain networks will be more and more pressing in light of growing climate change concerns and the corporate responsibility of corporations.

Private or permissioned blockchains are more centralized than their public counterparts. Some well-known permissioned blockchain protocols include IBMs Hyperledger and R3s Corda. These private blockchains are still large distributed networks, but they operate under the leadership of a known entity. This entity determines the role that individuals can play within the network and how they are rewarded for participation, including who may act as a transaction validator on such networks.

Moreover, while many of these permissioned networks are open-source, the required consensus mechanisms are much more energy efficient, since the leader can essentially dictate who validates what per node on the network. As such, many large industry players are looking primarily at the private or permissioned models for their enterprise-level needs.

Before embarking on a pilot project involving a private blockchain network, GCs should consider several potential critical issues such as:

What is the difference between cryptocurrencies and blockchain?

The most important distinction that any general counsel needs to make is that blockchain does not equal cryptocurrency the two remain distinct concepts. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum are associated with blockchain because they are essentially value data that are transferred across a blockchain network in a swift and cost-efficient manner without consideration of bank holidays, forex settlement processing timing constraints, national borders, or foreign exchange controls.

However, while cryptocurrencies are certainly compelling, they are just one of the many use cases for blockchain technology that have been identified and brought to market so far. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain generally each have their own separate uses. While blockchain has wider validation and consensus attributes, cryptocurrencies find their strength in monetization and trading as an alternative to fiat currencies like the USD or Euro, if not a competition threat.

Note also that many of these networks also employ digital tokens, essentially a registered unit of measurement or exchange on a blockchain. Tokens are not cryptocurrency, though their value is often denominated in whatever cryptocurrency is native to the public network the token is hosted on.

Nevertheless, in the rapidly evolving space that is the blockchain industry, the lines can blur and definitions can change. As such, it is imperative that GCs understand the differences alluded to above in both substance and terminology. This is particularly true when it comes to the decision whether to utilize a public or permissioned blockchain for an enterprise-level blockchain product.

For companies looking to jump into the space, one of the threshold decisions for market participants is whether to invest in or acquire a public or a permissioned blockchain network, as opposed to hiring or building from scratch. In all likelihood, many will opt for a permissioned blockchain, since they are better suited to enterprise-level adoption and are operated by a known entity.

Moreover, permissioned blockchains do not face many of the issues that hound public decentralized blockchains, including the fact that anyone can access or edit the information recorded on a public blockchain. GCs must be aware that the more public and highly traded a blockchain solution is, the more likely it is to face regulatory scrutiny, which we explain further in the next part of the series.

Did you enjoy this article? Whether you are new to in-house or a seasoned veteran, ACC has the tools, connections, and information to help you make a greater impact on your organization. Subscribe to our mailing list today to access ACCs career-enhancing resources for 30 days.

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is a global legal association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for corporations, associations and other private-sector organizations through information, education, networkingopportunities and advocacy initiatives. With more than 45,000 members in 85 countries, employed by over 10,000 organizations, ACC connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel.

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Blockchain Basics: What GCs Need to Know About the Disruptive Technology - Lexology

Hahn Air claims first real-world airline ticket delivered through blockchain – The Block – The Block

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Germanys Hahn Air recently used the open-sourcetravel distribution platform Winding Tree to issue the worlds first airlineticket powered by the blockchain technology, the company announced.

Hahn has also become the first airline company to flypassengers holding blockchain-powered tickets on its flight that took off from Dusseldorfto Luxemburg on November 18.

The Winding Tree platform allows Hahn Air to list itsinventory and manage their reservation requests and receive payments as soon asthe booking process is completed. Passengers can pay by cash, credit card, or cryptocurrency(LIF token or Ether).

Frederick Nowotny, head of sales engineering at HahnAir, said: We at Hahn Air are constantly exploring new technologies and we areproud to now demonstrate our technical capability to issue blockchain-poweredHahn Air tickets. We are pleased to be partnering with Winding Tree, the mostestablished company when it comes to distributing travel inventory in theblockchain.

Our goal is to investigate and monitor theopportunities this technology holds for travel distribution, even if widespreadacceptance is still a vision of the future, Nowotny added.

The use cases of blockchain technologies in the travelindustry are increasing rapidly. Earlier this month, Australian travel businessWebjet launched its long-in-development blockchain-based platform in order toremove disparities in hotel booking data. Webject, which has been usingMicrosofts Azure blockchain-as-a-service sandbox since 2016, said that the newRezchain application will address hotel reservation status and overcharges bylooking for data mismatches in real-time between customers, hotels and bookingagents, and sending alerts if any are found.

UK-based travel firm Alternative Airlines recently collaborated with Swiss cryptocurrency service Utrust to be able to provide customers with the ability to book flights using cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dash, DigiByte (DGB) and Utrusts native token UTK. This partnership will introduce instant cross border transactions, buyer protection, and crypto-to-cash settlements to the clients of Alternative Airlines.

Interested in hearing more in person?Find out more at theBlockchain Expo World Series, Global, Europe and North America.

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Hahn Air claims first real-world airline ticket delivered through blockchain - The Block - The Block

Blockchain and AI Risk Management Technology Company, HCXI, Announces the Appointment of Former Swiss Re and AIG Executive to Its Advisory Board -…

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., Nov. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- HCXI, a blockchain and AI based risk solutions company focused on managing alternative and emerging risks as new asset classes, has appointed former Swiss Re and AIG executive David Bassi to its advisory board. Mr. Bassi will advise HCXI on risk transfer and mitigation product innovation bringing considerable experience in insurance risk management and innovation to the role.

Mr. Bassi joins the HCXI Advisory Board with over 25 years of experience in the global insurance industry having held executive roles in innovation, risk management, and modeling. David most recently served as a Managing Director at Ernst & Young in Boston where he focused on insurance strategy and innovation. Prior to this role, he served as the Head of Innovation and Risk Consulting, Casualty, at AIG and held various risk management roles at leading companies including Swiss Re and General Electric. David is a speaker at industry events on topics such as emerging risks, big data, blockchain and the insurance cycle. He is a contributing author to Insurance Thought Leadership having written on the transformative potential of technology and analytics for the insurance industry.

HCXI is currently developing a smart-contract based risk mitigation and transfer product, vizSaver, to address the negative health outcomes and financial costs ($500+ billion) associated with missed patient appointments. vizSaver aligns the interests of patients, health systems, medical cost payers, and providers addressing delivery inefficiencies, social and financial determinants, and other patient, provider, and health system circumstances.

"We are pleased and excited to welcome David to our Advisory Board at this important stage of HCXI's evolution," stated Cyrus Maaghul, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "As a highly respected and seasoned international insurance executive with valuable risk management, innovation, and data analytics experience, we look forward to David's advice and insight in guiding our objectives to bring breakthrough risk solutions to industry."

About HCXI

HCXI is an early stage RiskTech innovator developing smart-contracts leveraging mobile technology and machine learning as the basis for new risk mitigation, transfer and financing solutions for industries including healthcare, emerging technologies (AI, Blockchain), and others.

https://www.hcxi.co

Media Contact:Cyrus Maaghul615.310.7944229784@email4pr.com

SOURCE HCXI

https://www.hcxi.co

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Blockchain and AI Risk Management Technology Company, HCXI, Announces the Appointment of Former Swiss Re and AIG Executive to Its Advisory Board -...

Cryptocurrency policies must combat snake oil without stifling innovation – The Globe and Mail

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Ethan Lous book, Once a Bitcoin Miner, is forthcoming from ECW Press.

In the wake of the latest B.C. bitcoin scandals, I talked to the executive director of the provincial securities commission, Peter Brady, who warned investors to be careful because, sometimes, there is nothing the regulator can do.

Then I talked to a 62-year-old technology illiterate named Keith who reached out because he needed someone to help him buy bitcoin, face to face. I later learned someone I know had already tried to help him, with little success. If Keith had contacted someone malicious and there are many he could have easily been led into something shady and ended up with no recourse.

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Those two conversations are jarring when juxtaposed and underscore a growing problem, particularly in the West. In just over a month, the B.C. Securities Commission has issued three statements on separate cryptocurrency matters, including an announcement of an active investigation, a departure from usual practice.

Therein lies a quagmire: What do you do when the sector is hard to police, but shady operations are easy to set up and the world is filled with clueless victims? A heavy hand is bad for innovation, but so is lawlessness. And innovation, believe it or not, is something in which Canada had a head start. It would be a travesty to see it eroded by the Wild West.

Cryptocurrency has become its own multibillion-dollar industry and enriched many, and its barely 10 years old. Everyone in it, even the most knowledgeable, had come from somewhere else. It is a land of new beginnings, where anyone can rise high. But that frontier also attracts the uninitiated, seeking fast riches and the snake-oil salesmen and slipshod wildcatters seeking the same.

The scene is particularly rife in the coastal British Columbia, home to the worlds first bitcoin ABM, the first registered cryptocurrency investment firm in the country and numerous listed blockchain companies. The sector has an oversized presence there, with great potential. But that also amplifies the bad actors.

The B.C. commissions first statement warned about two products that used the cryptocurrency name, but resemble a pyramid scheme. Two other statements came on the same day this month, about the trading platforms ezBtc and Einstein Exchange, accused of owing millions to users. Those bring to mind the collapsed QuadrigaCX, also from Vancouver, whose users claim more than $200-million.

There is no solution in sight. There are new rules proposed, but they deal only with exchanges and are crafted by securities regulators with complicated requirements. Observers have questioned whether it is even their business, given bitcoin is widely considered to not be a security. Some say the rules are so onerous, they will chase exchanges away.

Self-regulation has long been talked about. But if there was the will, it would have happened already. Cryptocurrency has a sharp individualistic bent and the community has rarely agreed on anything.

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In that vacuum come bandits and charlatans and the wrong sort of attention that ripples. It affects the programmer who hesitates when considering blockchain work. It affects the bank that refuses accounts to cryptocurrency businesses. It affects the misguided city that considered banning bitcoin ABMs.

Outside cryptocurrency circles, many do not know and inside, many forget that the biggest players in the sector have strong Canadian roots. Ethereums ether, the second-most valuable cryptocurrency, was started by a Torontonian. Binance, the worlds biggest exchange, was founded by a Vancouverite.

Neither has a significant presence in Canada, with Binance never having had any to begin with. That is not directly because of the lawlessness, whose symptoms only recently showed to the wider public. But the resulting disrepute, unnecessary and undeserved, stands in the way of what would keep future Ethereums and Binances in this country.

Canada has all the potential to be the leading hub for cryptocurrency and blockchain, its name invoked in the same way Switzerland is for watches. The powers that have the ability to make it so, to craft permissive policies. But when all they see is scandal and turmoil, they question whether it is worth the trouble.

It may be chicken-and-egg. While exchanges serving Canadians may be tied to the land, cryptocurrency itself is borderless. Do firms flee because there are no permissive policies? Or are there no policies because firms have fled?

Whatever the case, the path to more innovation begins with the disparate parties coming together to pay some serious attention to this space and the cleansing of a temple that, to many outside, has been flushed thick with the scent of thieves.

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It begins in the Wild, Wild West.

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Cryptocurrency policies must combat snake oil without stifling innovation - The Globe and Mail

Digital Formula 1 Collectibles are Coming to the Ethereum Blockchain – The Merkle Hash

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Anyone in the world can create a digital token or assets. The Formula 1 is doing things a bit differently, although the approach is rather intriguing.

As part of its new auction and contest, participants can win Ether and licensed digital collectibles.

The Pole Position Auction contest is the first of its kind.

Non-fungible tokens for all 10 team cards will go on auction.

According to the website, five different levels of rarity of racing cars will exist.

All of these tokens going live during this auction are of Epic rarity.

Users participating in this event will be able to win prizes by predicting the order of sale for these cars.

It does not cost any money to participate in this event, which is rather interesting.

Prizes include F1 Delta Time Car Gear and Ether.

This new blockchain-based game makes use of the ERC-721 and ERC-20 standards accordingly.

As is the case with blockchain collectibles, the ultimate goal is to collect and trade as many assets as possible.

It is not the first time companies decided to create non-fungible tokens that serve as collectibles either.

Most of the ventures focusing on this aspect have not been able to captivate big audiences, unfortunately.

Considering how this an officially licensed Formula 1 product, the venture may attract a lot more attention.

It is intriguing to see major sports franchises such as the Formula 1 take this approach as of late.

Engaging fans can be done in different ways, yet digital collectibles appear to be the way to go from this point forward.

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Digital Formula 1 Collectibles are Coming to the Ethereum Blockchain - The Merkle Hash

Alibaba and OneConnect take the top two positions in Blockchain Patents list and file IPO prospectuses on the same day – PRNewswire

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SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On the afternoon of November 18, BlockData released China Blockchain Patents Report 2019 and the Comprehensive Strength list of China's Blockchain Patents 2019. Alibaba ranked first in the list, while OneConnect and China Unicom took second and third place, respectively. In an accompanying ranking by strength ofblockchain patents specifically in the fintech field, OneConnect topped the list, followed by Ping An Technology, Hangzhou Fuzamei Technology,Launch Tech, Baidu, Tencent Technology and WeBank. In order to comprehensively demonstrate the strength of all companies having obtained blockchain patents, the list is based on an analysis that takes into consideration five factors: the number of patent applications, the number of patents granted, the scope of patent protection, the location in the patent family and the application for the patent.

Just prior to the launch of the list, the top two performers, Alibaba and OneConnect, had issued IPO prospectuses in Hong Kong and the United States and were receiving substantial attention from capital markets.

On the evening of November 13, Alibaba submitted a preliminary prospectus that appeared on the website of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (SEHK), announcing a plan to issue 500 million new ordinary shares worldwide and list on the main board of the exchange. If Alibaba successfully launches an IPO in Hong Kong, it will bethelargest-ever such transaction inthe Hong Kong market. Alibaba will also be the first Chinese Internet company to be listed in both Hong Kong and New York. Based on Alibaba's prospectus, as of June 30, 2019, the company held 6,175 authorized patents and 13,336 publicly filed patent applications in China. Elsewhere, the company held 3,112 authorized patents and 9,742 publicly filed patent applications.

On November 13, OneConnectformally appliedfor anIPOwith the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to the prospectus, as of the end of September 2019, the company has applied for 2,850 domestic patents and 542 foreign patents. OneConnect topped the list in the accompanying ranking by strength ofblockchain patents specifically in the fintech field released by BlockData. OneConnect'sblockchain solution FiMAXhas been implemented in the Chinese government's super vehicle management office as well as in solutions for supply chain finance, trade finance, small and medium-sized enterprise loans, intelligent environmental protection, mortgages, drug traceability and electronic medical records spanning five key sectors: finance, smart city, real estate, automotive and healthcare.

SOURCE OneConnect

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Alibaba and OneConnect take the top two positions in Blockchain Patents list and file IPO prospectuses on the same day - PRNewswire

Tech industry leaders, including former Cambridge Analytica exec, gather at UCSB to talk blockchain technology – Santa Barbara News-Press

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In an age where fears of fake news and misinformation run high, folks are brainstorming ways to increase transparency regarding data and technology.

An increasing portion of the tech community believes the solution lies with blockchain technology, and Santa Barbaras first ever Blockchain Summit, held Saturday at UCSBs Corwin Pavilion, provided a platform where proponents and doubters shared their ideas.

What exactly is blockchain? It is a chain of cryptographically signed blocks of data, and each block represents individual transactions. The chain can be distributed across different linked computers and cannot be tampered with. Some describe blockchain as open source technology because it can be analyzed by any user whose access is not controlled by a central figure of authority.

Blockchain gained popularity after the global financial crisis exploded in 2008. Peoples trust in banking institutions declined and cryptocurrencies began to be thought of as a way to avoid another financial crisis.

In the past decade, however, blockchain has been used beyond the cryptocurrency world. In Switzerland, a blockchain project is being used for voter registration. The Chilean government has begun using the technology in the energy sector, specifically regarding energy usage. Even border control may soon be using blockchain in the Netherlands. Proponents of blockchain believe that the open source nature of the technology will increase transparency of information in a society.

Julian Wheatland who served as CEO, CFO and COO of the now defunct political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica reflected on how his former company could have benefited from this type of open source technology and ethical compliance.

This whole question of ethical compliance is really underserved in terms of the way that we think about (how) businesses manage technology. And we should put a lot more effort into coming up with a structure or structures that allow companies to set up their store, seen very clearly and publicly what their ethical position is, and then set up processes inside the company in order to adhere to that ethical position, said Mr. Wheatland.

He continued that a degree of open source effort should be involved.

I would probably take that a stage further, said Mr. Wheatland. And I would say, and then invite other people to audit those processes in order to provide reassurance to the outside world that those processes are being adhered to.

But Mr. Wheatland drew a clear line between auditors and regulators.

What I didnt say was that the outside world should tell the company what it should do. The reason I didnt say that is that there is a role for regulation framework and that should say what companies can and cant do, but its only a framework, said Mr. Wheatland. Regulators will always be late to the party. Theyll always be regulating something that happened two years ago.

Mr. Wheatland speaks from the experience of witnessing Cambridge Analytica face regulators for activities they conducted years prior.

In 2018, the Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into whether or not Facebook whose users Cambridge Analytica was collecting information on has violated privacy laws. The app Thisisyourdigitallife, through which the information was collected, however, was created in 2013, translating to a five-year period between the launch of the information-harvesting app and the launch of the investigation.

A short version of Cambridge Analyticas history along with Mr. Wheatlands roles in the company unfolded with the questions of blockchain journalist Rachel Wolfson, who interviewed the tech executive Saturday.

Equipped with hindsight, Mr. Wheatland outlined the importance of transparency, honesty and management beyond existing regulations.

We ought to be able to see transparently what companies are doing with our data, he said.

Mr. Wheatland also shared with the News-Press some tips for internet users concerned about their informations safety.

One way to avoid sites from harvesting information is using different browsers, Mr. Wheatland told the News-Press. He was referring to the open-source browser Otter and Opera, which comes with a free virtual private network service that makes connections to websites more secure and difficult for websites to track users. Search engines like DuckDuckGo also aim to protect users privacy.

Mr. Wheatland did encourage that folks first analyze their level of concerns.

Theres a generational difference, said Mr. Wheatland. A group of university students, for example, may not have problems with sharing personal data to get relevant advertisements, while other age groups may not be as eager. Assessing the level of concern will help you determine which measures you are willing to take to protect information.

Another tip Mr. Wheatland shared with the News-Press was the use of a browsers incognito mode, which is also referred to as private browsing. This mode, although not perfect, stops cookies (small pieces of data) from being stored on a users computer.

Clarification: The article previously described Opera as open-source.

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Tech industry leaders, including former Cambridge Analytica exec, gather at UCSB to talk blockchain technology - Santa Barbara News-Press

Philippines and BCB Blockchain to Work Together on Smart Cities – Cointelegraph

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Singapore-based blockchain firm BCB Blockchain has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with a branch of the Philippines Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to support the development of local smart cities.

Per a Nov. 23 press release, BCB Blockchain contributed $300,000 to support incubators and startup accelerators in the Philippines by signing an MoA with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEETRD).

The joint initiative intends to facilitate the development of local startups focused on the creation of smart city projects and applications. Additionally, the company has reportedly partnered with a range of local educational establishments to provide its expertise and contributions to research and development, promotional activities, hackathons, collaborative endeavors and other projects for smart city or blockchain development. Douglas Gan, CEO of BCB Blockchain, said:

By providing DOST, universities and TBIs the resources and technical knowledge that BCB Blockchain has, we expect them to deepen their competencies in the area of designing and developing applications and projects for smart cities. We will guide and provide them the access to hands-on workshops, funding, materials, events and technical support.

This summer, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of the Philippines signed an MoA with United States-based blockchain firm Monsoon Blockchain Storage, wherein Monsoon was set to act as a blockchain consultant and advisor to DICT, offering services such as cost-benefit and socio-economic analyses regarding blockchain solutions in the Philippines.

In the meantime, Philippine Senator Grace Poe said that local lawmakers should not be in a hurry to pass financial technology regulation. Poe stated:

To most of our countrymen, this is alien to them, but in fact some of them have been availing of it through online lending. And without the proper information and education, a lot of them are actually victimized.

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Philippines and BCB Blockchain to Work Together on Smart Cities - Cointelegraph

Bavarian Government to Issue Blockchain-Based Training Certificates – Cointelegraph

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The Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Germany, will issue its first blockchain-enabled training certificates next spring in cooperation with the Digital Ministry. In the future, employers will be able to determine whether the certificates are genuine with the help of an electronic key.

According to a press release from Nov. 20 from the Minister of State for Digital Affairs, employers will use an electronic key to verify the authenticity of certificates using blockchain technology.

The Digital Ministry will create a web application that enables companies to verify the authenticity of certificates using blockchain-based hash values. Applicants can send the key with a PDF file to the companies, after which a file upload of the key on the web application will purportedly allow immediate verification.

Digital Minister of the Free State Bavaria Judith Gerlach said, This offers a huge advantage for both applicants and companies. The authenticity of certificates can be checked in just a few clicks. This is a kind of digital quality seal Blockchain, Made in Bavaria.

According to Gerlach, if blockchain technology proves itself reliable, the Free State of Bavaria could also issue blockchain-secured school and university certificates in the future, adding:

"The certificates are a first step for the concrete use of blockchain in administration and can theoretically be extended to any type of document, whether a certificate, deed or contract. We want to launch more practical applications soon.

In June, Cointelegraph reported that a Canadian tech institute issued blockchain-based diplomas to the graduating class of 2019. More than 4,800 graduating students of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology received blockchain-based degrees along with their traditional parchments.

Similarly, this September, the Swiss University of St. Gallen partnered with Swiss blockchain startup BlockFactory and will use its certification solution to create immutable diplomas that are registered on the Ethereum blockchain.

Additional reporting by Veronika Rinecker

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Tracking New Bedford scallops from ocean to plate, with blockchain – SouthCoastToday.com

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NEW BEDFORD Are the fancy scallops on the menu really from the North Atlantic?

Reports of mislabeled fish have left some diners wondering if their snapper is really snapper. But with the help of digital data, one New Bedford seafood company has no trouble proving the provenance of its scallops.

Captain Dan Eilertsens Nordic Inc. is working with a Fall River fish processor, tech juggernaut IBM and a California restaurant company to use blockchain technology to track scallops from ocean to table.

Just scan a QR code on your restaurant menu and see exactly where the scallops were caught, when, and by whom.

This is going to be a good way of sustaining our fishing industry and showing people that you can trust where your food comes from, said Eilertsen, a longtime fisherman and owner of six scallop boats.

One if his vessels, the Venture, is equipped with IBM Food Trust, which creates a permanent, shared record of data about where food comes from and where its been. At every step along the way, people enter data into the blockchain.

On board the vessel, scallops get shucked, washed, bagged and weighed. A printer spits out a label with a QR code that goes right on the bag.

By the time Eilertsens scallops arrive at the participating restaurant in this case, TAPS Fish House and Brewery in southern California customers can use their smartphones to view the entire chain of custody. They can see the GPS coordinates of the catch and trace its journey.

From New Bedford, the scallops go to Raw Seafoods in Fall River, where they get packed and frozen. From there, they get shipped to West Coast distributor Santa Monica Seafood, which sends them to the restaurant.

Raw Seafoods started thinking about tracing the origin of food last year, after the produce industry experienced a serious E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, according to Dan McQuade, the companys vice president of marketing.

The company knew the seafood industry had its own problems to solve, he said. A report released in March of 2019 by the conservation group Oceana revealed that 21 percent of the 449 fish the organization tested were mislabeled. One out of three establishments was selling mislabeled fish.

We have a food safety issue as well, McQuade said. We have fraud thats rampant in the seafood industry, and we have the fear of fish.

He said American consumers love fish, but they eat far less of it than beef or chicken, owing in part to the ambiguity about whence it comes.

Raw Seafoods learned about what IBM was doing, and the two companies sat down and created a business model that would work for fish.

At the same time, Eilertsen was looking for a way to brand his scallops. He felt like he was doing everything right, but nobody knew about it, according to McQuade. And he never knew where his scallops went.

So the fishing captain and the tech giant got connected, and the Venture became the first fishing vessel to use IBMs Food Trust platform.

Representatives from all of the companies involved, including the California restaurant, gathered on Fish Island on Tuesday to show off the technology aboard the Venture. Afterward, they were headed to a celebratory dinner at Merrills Waterfront.

Suzanne Livingston, director of IBM Food Trust, said blockchain allows each party in the supply chain to submit information and control its own data. No other party can edit the data or change any of the records. IBM links the information across the entire supply chain.

"So you know discretely that this lot of food, or this batch of food, came from this distinct source," she said. "And thats traceability at its core."

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Tracking New Bedford scallops from ocean to plate, with blockchain - SouthCoastToday.com