Homework on Provenance - Questions

Answers:

  1. Blockchain encapsulates all transactions and by this characteristic enables digital trustworthiness.
  2. A normal database includes the ability to remove / delete / edit entries and thus can’t be relied upon to contain reliable data.
  3. removes the layer of needed trust, thus expediting transactions.
2 Likes
  1. It provides a method for tracking everything in real-time and removes the necessity for us to trust a centralized figure by creating a network of computers that validate all transactions

  2. A normal database is not public and requires the need to trust the source of the data rather than verifying it for yourself

  3. Digital provenance can hold businesses accountable and make all of their processes much more efficient. A business can track everything and improve based on the ledger rather than its own educated decisions.

If anyone would like to add to my response or help me make sure that I’m fully understanding this correctly, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

2 Likes
  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    With a computer network and a distributed database
  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    Normal can be manipulated, erased and so on
  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    While is trustless
1 Like
  1. Through decentralization I guess. I order to somehow falsify the provenance, you have to falsify the databases in majority of the ledgers. I don’t know if technically it would be possible today, maybe with quantum computing :rofl: But definitely it would be very time and resource consuming.

  2. You have to trust the owner of database knowing it’s not possible to verify 100% the correctness and validity of the data. The Arthur Andersen case is a good prove of the fact that you have no reason to trust even the Big Five (Big Four nowadays).

3, It’s just saving a lot of timely and monetary resources spent on external audits and internal control procedures.

2 Likes

Not much to add, carry on with the courses and keep up the good work! :raised_hands: :smiley:

3 Likes

Thank you very much for responding. It means a lot and helps me out a ton! :grin:

1 Like

Blockchain is an immutable ledger where all transactions can be tracked or traced in Real Time.

A normal database requires trust and is susceptible to manipulation, hacks and mistakes. Blockchain enables trustless verification.

Lower costs. No need for an independent physical auditor. All accurate data can be made available in one place.

2 Likes
  • How does blockchain enable digital provenance?

Blockchain enables provenance by creating verified non removable digital records that cannot be changed.

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

Because the data can be changed as it is centralised.

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

Because both suppliers and customers will be able to verify quickly all information relating to the products and not based on trust.

1 Like
  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    1R. Because Blockchain is a digital stone, and no transaction can be erased, this enable auditing and tracking of everything, enable unlimited possibilities for supply Chain, Auditing and any other king of applications, that need trace, and perfect trace because no one can hide or remove anything from blockchain database
  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    2.R The main difference is that other databases can erase or hide information to the user, this one is a Public Ledger any one can see any one can audit any one can track any transaction from the origin.
  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    3R. Its the possibility to avoid trust and just verify facts (when all the supply chain of those businesses are part of this Blockchain)
1 Like
  1. As Ivan mentioned, blockchain is like a stone from the Viking age, where you could write data, but you could not erase it. Similarly, every transaction that is broadcast on the blockchain can never be erased. In a similar fashion, by storing each step of the supply chain, someone can verify the origin of each product.
  2. A normal database is centralised, therefore a single point of failure exists. Data can therefore be deleted, corrupted or stolen through hacks.
  3. Digital provenance enables us to remove trust from the equation and also the need for a centralised authority.
1 Like

1.) It allows digital provenance as the whole trail of data posted can be observed and verified in real time

2.) Normal databases are obscure and opaque and require third party audits to this black box type of way of storing data

3.) It allows for greater efficiencies in logistics such as tracing goods , can save them money on unnecessary audits .

1 Like
  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    By being a database where you can only add and not remove therefore, every transaction can be traced.
  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    Because there is one copy and therefore this copy can be manipulated as other copies can’t verify the transaction is correct.
  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    Because there is no need for trust, everything can be verified and no need for auditors
1 Like
  1. because blockchain technology is run by an ledger this is done with several nodes that always have the blockchain thus the transactions written permanently on the blockchain like the stone ivan said.

  2. because it’s centralized this means you have to trust the owner of the database and with blockchain it is run with different computers/nodes so everything is tracked by different computers.

  3. because you can track every product where it came from. and you don’t have to trust just some company i mean they can tell you anything. you can track everything on the blockchain.

can anyone maybe tell me how i’m doing ? would appreciate it very much

1 Like

1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?

Because blockchain is decentralized we can check up on the history of a transaction with ease on the public ledger.

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

A normal database doesn’t have the same provenance as a digital provenance on a blockchain for that exact reason. It isn’t on a trustless blockchain. The problem with a normal database is transactions can be added or removed, and data can even be lost. Ontop of all this, you have to be able to put your trust in the owner of this database.

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

Digital provenance is safer, more transparent, trustless, easily traceable, gives you the opportunity to not have to rely on ‘trusting’ relationships, and allows for real time auditing.

1 Like

Immutable ledgers render it impossible to adjust/manipulate data.

A normal database can be manipulated. As a result the validity/ trust factor of the contents no longer remains.

Digital provenance provides the transparency with accuracy that all are looking for. This enables the verification needed to ensure things are as they seem.

1 Like

Great summary. Seems correct to me.

Great question. You are right, garbage in equals garbage out is also true for blockchain.

I have a very incomplete answer for you that is over simplified but at least it get’s you started… .For supply chain tracking to work and be accurate the idea is that the blockchain doesn’t just record the transactions of one organization. That paints an incomplete picture and isn’t of much value. (Although immutability could get them in trouble later on and they could lose their credibility)

The idea is that all actors are registering their applicable data and transactions on chain. When multiple actors contribute it becomes much harder to cheat. Let’s say one company produces coconut milk, another grows conventional coconuts, and a third transports the coconuts.
The coconut grower tags the coconuts as conventional and registers them on the blockchain. Then the shipping company takes these coconuts tagged as conventional and delivers them to the coconut milk producer. The pickup, transport and delivery of conventional coconuts is also registered on the blockchain. Now the coconut milk can be produced and sold. It would be hard for the coconut milk producer to claim their milk is organic based on the supply chain data that is available for all to see. A supermarket/consumer could check the supply chain data, notice the discrepancy and refuse to do business with them.

So how do you verify that the coconut grower isn’t cheating… ask origintrail and let me know :wink:

1 Like

1- Provenance enable an individual or collective to track and verify the information.

2- Because in a normal database the system can fail in so many ways such as crash, loss of data and probably human error.

3- In this day and age most people wants to know where their service or product are coming from and how it’s been made, giving quality assurance and peace of mind.

2 Likes

1- Blockchain allows provenance because it is public, immutable, modifiable and auditable at all times.
2- because it only fulfills the function of storing data. It can be altered and modified.
And the most important thing is CENTRALIZED
3 - Because today everything is based on trust, the provenance provided by Blockchain breaks with that. Allowing people to choose for reliable and true information.

2 Likes
  1. Because it ensures that the provenance chronology cannot be altered.

  2. Because the information contained on a normal database can easily be modified

  3. Cause it’s trustless and allows for instant verification at any moment.

2 Likes