Blockchain framework in digital government for the certification of authenticity, timestamping and data property

Abstract

In an ever more digitized world where information and data are increasingly dematerialized, the question of how to certify intellectual property and define when a document has been created or modified without the presence of any third-party guarantor inevitably arises. This document proposes a decentralized method that, by exploiting blockchain technology and distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, makes it possible to historicize information in such a way that it is not possible for a user to alter its dating, attribute ownership or modify it by impersonating the author. The data certification (document, image, film, data archive, etc.) takes place through the creation of an immutable relationship between the owner and the data. At the legal level, many countries are beginning to regulate blockchain technology to use in many areas, such as the production chain, the Internet of Things or Public Administration. In this paper, we present a solution to promote digital government and greater transparency, using a framework based on the Ethereum blockchain, a smart contract and a decentralized application.