Homework on Provenance - Questions

  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    By removing trust from the equation which will likely deprecate the need for audit (i.e. big 4 accounting service not needed due to real-time accounting enabled by provenance). Verification via mathematics

  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    data aggregation is centralized and may be inaccurate. you need to trust other parties rather than verify in real-time which is what provenance solves for: taking trust out of the equation

  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    it eliminates the need of costly services that can, and should be handled in real-time. It brings operational efficiency between users.

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  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?

As a public ledger blockchain is super transparent so anyone can check the data on the blockchain for themselves. You don’t have to trust anyone, you can verify the data yourself.

  1. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?

Because you have to trust the owner of the database to be truthful and can’t verify the data yourself.

  1. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?

Because they don’t have to trust any third parties anymore and no one needs to trust them in order to safely transact with any given business. A trustless system is a safe system!

  1. by tracking any transaction
  2. because it is manipulated by persons
  3. because it will not be required a third party (or middleman) to confirm the transactions.
  1. The blockchain is immutable, making it impossible to change the history of records and making the information publicly accessible.

  2. It is centralised and requires trust that the centralised authority didn’t manipulate the data.

  3. It provides a trustless environment, enabling the customer to easily track the manufacturing process and/or verify the quality of the product. This will be overall more cost efficient.

1-Blockchain enables digital provenance by permanently recording data in a network. Immutablity the best feature of blockchain. Sorry in blockchain you can only just add data but can’t remove it from the network.
2- As a normal data base is centrally controlled it is prone to manipulations, alterations, corruption,abuse of trust,etc.
So counting on trustworthiness of a centrally controlled private ledger is a thing of a past. We don’t trust but verify.
3- Digital provenance is of a greater advantage for businesses because it helps their customers to know exactly what goods and services they get by digitally verifying it’s authenticity in real time. There by developing unshakable trust between customers and businesses.

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  1. Provenance allows the ability to Track and Trace without questioning whether something is not true. In other words , you can trust the block chain because it is public and traceable. It is a transparent method of viewing and tracking actions that are placed on the blockchain.
  2. The normal database does not have provenance because the database is not transparent. The normal database can be changed. The normal database can be corrupted and really cannot be trusted.
  3. Digital provenance is a great benefit to normal business because it will allow a business to trace and track where something has been with transparency. With transparency, a company can easily verify and have trust that the information or data that is being verified is accurate.

How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
Provenance: the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature
With blockchain, each transaction can be tracked and audited in real-time. Transactions are written to the ledger but can’t be deleted. Accounting and transaction information available together in the same place.

Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
Because they are usually more opaque and not so transparent. Transactions can be modified.

Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
More value and transparency is brought to processes.
Trust can be removed. Verification is enabled. Trustlessness is enabled.

  1. Blockchain allows tracking origin and destination of information about products that is trustless (doesn’t require us to trust an singular body in a supply chain).
  2. A normal database is corruptible and more prone to mistakes because it is dependent on a singular entity in keeping the data in that database accurate and unaltered.
  3. It creates trust between consumer/client and the business’s products because it gives trustless knowledge of the accuracy of the origin and destination of products. If consumers can verify without trusting the company, it allows honest companies to stand out and get more business.
  1. By offering a public immutable and trusted ledger containing all transactions.
  2. It’s not public and can be tampered with.
  3. It brings trust to the business

Blockchain enables provenance by being an open public ledger with all transactions visible. A normal database is hidden from some and available to few, this allows those in control of the database to manipulate it leaving a question over its provenance. Digital provenance helps businesses by removing the trust element, transactions are immediately verifiable.

  1. Blockchain allows any one to openly see the source and origin of digital data or information. While at the same time no one can alter or make changes to the data or information.

  2. Normal databases hide digital data and information from the general public. In fear that it would be altered or changed in some way.

  3. Digital provenance allows business’s trace the origin of data and eliminates trust from one another. Don’t trust verify.

  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance? It is an immutable ledger that is decentralized requiring agreement to issue/ approve new transactions. This can be easily audited.
  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance? A normal database can be manipulated (historical data changed / deleted)
  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses? Trust is no longer required in a world run on block chain. Independent parties can verify and ensure things like the supply chain information is truthful.
  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    》by being an immutable verifiable ledger whose integrity and validity is granted by a distributed network

  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    》 because it can be altered

  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    》 where transparency is either needed or valued, provenance is a bless.

PS: @ivan, @filip: I don’t fully understand how supply chain, logistics or the food ingredients example would work on the blockchain. In Bitcoin, the introduction of a fundamental information (new bitcoins) can only happen by mining, which is backed by PoW. In the above mentioned sectors, someone would have to introduce a piece of information on the blockchain and therefore the necessary thrustless setup is gone because we would have to trust the person adding the information in question. Andreas Antonopoulos has a nice talk on that called “Banana’s on the blockchain”. Could you comment on this subject? Thanks!

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  1. BlCh enable DP by:
  • Data In - YES
  • Data Out - No
  • Data Erase - No
  • Data Edit - No
  1. Normal DB doesn’t bring the same provenance because:
  • Data In - Yes
  • Data Out - Yes
  • Data Erase - Yes
  • Data Edit - Yes
  1. Many Businesses need Truth
    Truth ≠ Trust
    Truth can be verified thru DP because DP can confirm it.
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  1. The two primary characteristics that enables digital provenance via the blockchain is verification and immutability. Once a majority of the network nodes come to a consensus and a transaction is deemed true, accurate and justified, it cannot be changed, deleted, duplicated or forged. Another important characteristic regarding provenance is that the blockchain is an open public ledger allowing all transactions to be tracked and traced.

  2. A centralized (normal) database (ledger) is subject to human error and can be hacking to a much greater degree. Thus, it is potentially very insecure compared to DLT.

  3. Two very important applications of digital provenance within the business world are brands and supply chains. Supply chain managers must rely on accurate provenance information to track progress and ensure goods move smoothly through each step of distribution. When it comes to buyers purchasing brand-name goods, luxury items, fine art and collectibles, they want to be 100% certain these items are genuine.

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  1. by being decentralized you can track every transaction on blockchain
  2. because a normal database is centralized and the data can be changed, deleted. bad people can access it and good people may not.
  3. you don’t have to trust the third party. every move is traceble.
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  1. By it’s fixed and unchanging records available to anyone reading the blockchain. Provenance is the proof of a chain of ownership or or it’s origin/creation so by providing an accessible fixed record of change you can see exactly it’s travels.
  2. Most databases are owned by a single source and are changeable. You would lose the trust-less feature of a distributed blockchain which would also lose the “unchanging” aspect of the it because you would need to “trust” the controllers of the database.
  3. It would be great for individuals and groups that would welcome transparency but would be hated by anyone or group that wanted to not be responsible for their actions, say maybe a drug manufacturer that has lots of bad effects related to the products they are selling. It would be an interesting world that all of everything is known to everyone. So I would think that provenance of my actions would be good for Facebook but would every dollar spent and to whom by Facebook be good for Facebook?
  1. Blockchain is a public ledger with immutable data that is fully traceable.
  2. In a normal database info can be changed and is not accessible to everyone.
  3. Provenance will enable businesses to track ingredients of food for example. Real time auditing would be possible as the blockchain works without trust and mathematical/physical verification only.
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  1. By a decentralised public ledger that is immutable and can therefore provide verifiable/traceable data anytime.
  2. Because a “normal” database is centralised and more prone to human manipulation or error (less trustworthy.
  3. DP enables transparent movement and the notion of tracing origins. Hence, with verification comes greater transparency, which in effect increases trust and customer satisfaction.

1 every transaction is visible for everyone on the network, immediately

2 not real time, not consensus, ppl are interfering and risk of falsifying data/make errors, based on trust

3 less errors, real time, open auditing will be possible = more efficiency and transparency. no more trust based reliability needed, because we have math