Proof.ink Returning Steem To It's Roots

With all the advancements over the last couple years in blockchain, we forget about the basic essence of it.

A blockchain serves as a distributed ledger. This means that data posted on the blockchain, for the most part, is immutable. It is this mechanism that allows for trust to be established without the need of a third party. Since the transactions are all public, the blocks available for everyone to see, the data cannot be questioned.

Compare this with a centralized server that is controlled by one entity. Whatever is posted there is property of the one who controls the server. That data can be changed at any moment, without question. This is why we turn to third parties who are often regulated especially when it comes to financial matters.

I recall reading about a project by MIT that used this core feature of blockchain. It was called BitCerts and what it allowed was for educational and governmental institutions to post documents to the bitcoin blockchain. Naturally, the documents themselves were not there, that used a different server. Instead, the blockchain was used as a time stamping mechanism.

One use was by MIT who had their diplomas on there. Each student received a key that accessed the wallet showing the transactions. That was tied to MIT's system which housed the actual diploma. This means a graduate only needed to forward the key to any perspective employer which was used in an app they designed.

Proof of originality is one of the overlooked benefits of blockchain. On Steem, this is not discussed at all. @roelandp decided to change this.

He recently introduced Proof.ink. This is an application that uses the Steem blockchain to ensure the authenticity of any file. We live in a world where it is easy to manipulate documents/files. This is a system that helps to prevent that.

It is a way to ensure that the document you are looking at was not tampered with in any way.

Proof.ink works by fingerprinting your file (no matter how big), without the need to upload it, inside your browser. The result of this calculation is a unique SHA256 hash / fingerprint of your file.

How does this work?

Essentially, one use his/her Steem account to send a public transfer with a special json containing the hash. Upon checking out, you can broadcast your message using a variety of options. The system starts monitoring the transactions for your hash. Once found, you get a certified json file that is your "fingerprint".

For a full write up about this application:

https://steempeak.com/utopian-io/@roelandp/proof-ink-proven-immutable-data-file-hashes-stored-on-the-steem-blockchain

Think of the possibilities with this. In an age where PDF software is near free, how can one ensure what is sent was not altered? Imagine sending a proposal to someone only to have them change it. Or how about a signed contract that is altered after the fact? This ensures that does not take place.

Sometimes, the biggest breakthroughs come from going back to the basics.

Here is where you can find the website: https://proof.ink/

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