One of the most often touted reasons for integrating Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) into public services is the opportunities it creates for transparency. While not easily defined, transparency in public services typically refers to making “reliable, relevant and timely information about the activities of government…available to the public”.

The collection of personal data is not a new practice, with the first government census going as far back as 3800 BCE in the Babylonian empire. The commodification of data, however, has been amplified by the increasing digitization of the modern era. For the average...

“You are sitting at a cafe recommended to you by an algorithm, at a table that was cut on a CNC milling machine; you pay for your coffee with cryptocurrency, which you do by tapping your smartphone against the register; the voices of children playing an AR game filter...

Blockchain-based currencies were designed to be independent of public monetary institutions or nation-states. Meanwhile public organisations are investing a lot for utilizing blockchain-based technologies.

In terms of privacy, COVID-19 have brought about a tidal wave of actions by governments that a short while ago would have been seen deeply tinged with dystopian undertones. Placing entire cities, countries, and regions in lockdown and creating digital applications to track movement have been swift and (perhaps) necessary actions by governments.