Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea, has launched a blockchain-based ID app that uses a public blockchain to verify citizen information.
It has been reported that the app was developed by Coinplug, a Korean startup working within the regulatory sandbox of the Busan Blockchain Regulation-Free Zone, as the developer used the Metadium blockchain and its Decentralized Identifier technology to power the app.
However, through this system, user data is stored on their devices, and only a cryptographic proof of the information is submitted to the blockchain. This strikes a balance between personal data privacy and the need to create tamper-proof records.
Blockchain-based identification is being rolled out for citizens of Busan, South Korea’s second largest city https://t.co/3QSCvqAOKP — Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) June 9, 2020
It has been analyzed that the app will let citizens access a wide variety of “non-face-to-face” government services, which due to the COVID-19 pandemic, became a much higher priority.
Current use-cases include the ability to use the Busan Citizen ID and other types of government-issued smart cards. The app also features a crypto wallet, which follows Coinplug’s efforts to integrate crypto payments in South Korea’s post offices.
According to a 2018 report, the trend of digitalization of government services started well before the popularization of blockchain in some countries.
A Coinplug spokesperson said that Busan’s choice of a decentralized platform is part of the city’s push for technological innovation, where blockchain plays an important role.
Thus, Busan’s regulatory sandbox allowed for the creation of several initiatives involving blockchain.
Source: Cointelegraph | Image: Finance Monthly