Blockchain could help verify evidence of crime

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Alistair Davidson, a technical architecture lead at the Ministry, published a blog post on Thursday, which outlined the notable situation with the use of blockchain, related to law enforcement: using the technology to create records for officer-worn camera footage.

Although Davidson’s blog message is largely hypothetical, it should be noted that the blockchain could find its way to use by state structures, such as the Ministry of Justice. He noted that such usage would be particularly useful in court, especially if the prosecution wanted to use the ledger record to prove the authenticity of the video, according to the post.

He said that the ledger would not store the video. Rather, it would contain a hash of the video’s data and metadata, as well as a listing of its location in the government storage area.

If the videos are uploaded to a public available cloud storage, "the blockchain would be readable to anyone, anywhere, but only available for recording by the police," Davidson writes.

In a technical review published by the Ministry of Justice, the government explains that while a blockchain is unchanged, it can only audit the assets that are stored after their transfer. Files may still be modified before being listed on the blockchain.