Is Blockchain Boosting USA’s Travel Mechanism?

Blockchain’s use cases, in recent times, have grown in scope, at a tremendous pace as more and more people start to see blockchain technology for its applications beyond cryptocurrencies. Blockchain technology is now being used in supply chain management, product traceability, and certain ID solutions as well as assisting the data management of many corporations and some governments. Recently, there was news of IBM using blockchain to combat counterfeit medicine in Africa.

Now the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency also advocated the use of blockchain technology during the JetBlue Technology Ventures Blockchain in Travel Summit. According to reports, CBP’s program manager spoke in favour of blockchain technology and said that it could be used for biometric tracking which would eventually increase the efficiency of the travelling sector.

Sikna Hasham, the official in question stated that the country detects people entering the states through facial recognition along with biometric data. But the security could be significantly increased if all the data from their previous government could be made available as well. This would not only enable the recognition of the individual but also assist in learning the nature of the visit and other relevant information.

Hasham also noted that if such a system is indeed to be implemented, it would require the cooperation of various organizations across several jurisdictions. It is to be noted here that using blockchain technology for data sharing is much more secure and faster than legacy databases. The objective is to increase the security without creating any hindrances in trade and travelling. As of now, the tech is being explored to check how the technology can benefit the system. The official also highlighted that the private sector is currently lacking and through blockchain, it can be improved. Moreover, he noted that the conduction of decentralized information needs to protected by the government.

Rishma Banerjee

Rishma is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and has a special place in her life for sifting through all sorts of random trivia, thank you very much.