Business
Swiss Federal Railways Tests a Blockchain-Based Credential Management System
The objective is to streamline the current paper-based process
Swiss Federal Rails (SBB) recently completed its proof of concept (PoC) of a credential management system based in the blockchain. The PoC is meant for the employed workforce of the company which is employed in its construction site.
Initially, the project ran between May and November and tried to streamline the current paper-based processes, and made them more agile.
Daniele Pallecchi from the Swiss National Rail Company told the media that the project will improve a range of fields and will boost the safety of the sites while also making sure that the highly qualified professionals work there.
She revealed that the solution was developed by Linum Labs and uses an open source technology called uPort, which was designed by ConsenSys.
How does it work?
The trial version of the software allowed the workers to create their digital identities via their mobile devices on the uPort and a certificate was, in turn, issued by the SBB to confirm that they went through appropriate training. The digital IDs generated this way were then used by the employees to sign in and sign out of their construction sites.
This is not the first time that Switzerland has dealt with blockchain-based identities. Around one year ago, the City of Zug implemented a citizen ID verifiable by the government, using uPort.
The main benefit of this system is that it is more reliable than the paper-based processes, is decentralised and easier to access. This also deals directly with security regulations and record-keeping requirements, which are particularly strict given the fatality train accidents usually entail.
In this case, record keeping is a requirement to keep track of over 30,000 employees’ work and their training. But an individual identity of a large number of workers from different companies working on the thousands of construction sites held by SBB across Switzerland is often handled by multiple companies. They deal with information such as medical records, training certificates, etc. This framework made it ideal for a decentralised initiative to test a pilot.
SBB workers, certification authorities and supervisors, have their own digital ID connected to their uPort ID, which is directly linked to their ID on the blockchain. A worker’s check in and check out are published on the blockchain, providing information that can be audited.
Over a five weeks period, a small team designed the application’s architecture. However, one limitation of uPort is the fact that it is based on Ethereum and suffers from well-known problems, such as scalability.
Compatibility with GDPR – where are we?
As soon as personal information is under the microscope, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance jumps to mind. Competing sources state two different things.
On one hand, one explains that the company encounters an issue with the GDPR and its ‘Right to be forgotten’, meaning that all the information about a person should be removed from public domain if requested by the person in question. Since everything on blockchain is permanent and immutable, if needed, information on blockchain cannot be deleted.
On the other hand, Linum Labs stated SBB’s pilot is meant to “be interoperable and in compliance with GDPR and other data privacy laws.” All identities are said to be “GDPR compliant self-sovereign.”
According to Thierry Bonfante, head of product at uPort, the new architecture allows for the information to be stored off-chain, which is why the system works best with small amounts of data. He explained that this is the reason why it is only used for specific key management purposes like revocation, delegation and rotation.
The Final Word
The blockchain allows for a change in the status quo in a wide range of industries, particularly those dealing with a large number of subcontracted employees. However, everything that has to do with identities is prone to spark a debate, and if it’s in Europe, GDPR is bound to apply. Switzerland has been leading the race for a while, and this case study reflects how blockchain is changing the way businesses do things. Let’s keep an eye out to see if they launch a post-pilot phase software.
This is the precise weblog for anyone who needs to seek out out about this topic. You notice so much its virtually exhausting to argue with you (not that I really would need?HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject thats been written about for years. Nice stuff, just nice!
I keep listening to the news broadcast speak about getting free online grant applications so I have been looking around for the best site to get one. Could you tell me please, where could i find some?
This is a topic close to my heart cheers, where are your contact details though?
Probably one of the best articles i have read in long long time. Enjoyed it. Thank you for such nice post.
With almost everything that seems to be building throughout this specific subject material, a significant percentage of perspectives tend to be rather radical. On the other hand, I beg your pardon, but I can not subscribe to your whole theory, all be it refreshing none the less. It seems to everybody that your comments are not totally validated and in simple fact you are your self not really entirely confident of your argument. In any case I did enjoy reading through it.
excellent put up, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector don’t understand this. You must continue your writing. I’m sure, you have a huge readers’ base already!
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
One thing I would like to comment on is that weightloss program fast can be performed by the perfect diet and exercise. A person’s size not merely affects the look, but also the actual quality of life. Self-esteem, depression, health risks, in addition to physical ability are afflicted in putting on weight. It is possible to do everything right but still gain. In such a circumstance, a condition may be the root cause. While too much food rather than enough workout are usually responsible, common medical ailments and key prescriptions can easily greatly amplify size. Many thanks for your post in this article.
Really enjoyed this blog post, how can I make is so that I get an update sent in an email every time you write a new update?
Thanks for your posting. I would also love to say this that the first thing you will need to perform is determine whether you really need fixing credit. To do that you simply must get your hands on a replica of your credit report. That should not be difficult, considering that the government necessitates that you are allowed to get one free of charge copy of your own credit report yearly. You just have to inquire the right persons. You can either check out the website with the Federal Trade Commission or maybe contact one of the leading credit agencies directly.