Homework on Provenance - Questions

Blockchain and Bitcoin 101
#2987 
How does blockchain enable digital provenance?

By utilizing a decentralized public ledger. There is no need to trust one core body.

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

It can never be as secure as it relies on a central authority. You inherently have to trust said authority before you can trust the database, blockchain bypasses this issue.

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

Allows them to track their products, from raw manufacturing plant/farm all the way to the customer. Does not rely on a central authority. Potentially huge potential if it can take off in countries with higher levels of corruption (than developed nations).

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#2988

  1. blockchain enables digital provenance by removing trust and incorporating the transaction layer and the accounting layer of companies along with verification systems. Thus, blockchain can be used to track people, places, things, times or events and make the system more efficient overall.

  2. Normal databases generally are not interconnected and they don’t share the same administrative privileges in all levels, which creates silos. This situation creates boundaries around information making it difficult to be retrieved and used, which in sum is inefficient when compared to what blockchain does.

  3. Digital provenance ensures transparency of the information where implemented, faster communication in the sharing processes, more reliability when it comes to multi-level or multi-organizational work, and more efficient overall.

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#2989

@Alko89 @Kerron_Lewis
Very good comment @Bossman ! Thanks for that example which makes it clearer how the technology benefits consumers.
The tendency to search for quality and veracity in every single aspect of business keeps growing among society, and blockchain is only another tool to make it harder to cheat, I agree. Nothing will eradicate 100% dishonesty or opaqueness in all systems, for there are systems that live from that. And anyways, all of these systems will still be used by humans… Let’s leave it by saying that truth is relative :smile:.
Despite this, to me, the benefit of tracking products is that: ex. Right now if I want to know which companies were involved in the creation of the coconut milk that I drink, it would be very tedious having to go through the website of the company, finding their financial info, and etc. and keep doing that one company at a time until I find the source of the coconuts. May be this coconuts come from Nicaragua, and because the system in Nicaragua is very opaque, it will be very difficult for me to localize the company that harvests the coconuts.
But if the companies make public that information through a ledger, that task will be completed in a couple of minutes, since I will be able to see the process since its origin.
It makes processes compatible, which translates into an easy time for users to read the info.
Yet again, when it comes to veracity, in my mind nothing is 100% true (not even if one was there) unless one does it.

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#2990

You’re doing great! :raised_hands: keep up the good work! :smiley:

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#2991

  1. Once something has been added to the blockchain it’st permanent “digital rock” proving all transactions are 100% legit.

  2. Not everyone has access to it (centralised), it can be altered, trust is removed and has no transparency.

  3. No one can change/manipulate anything to help/benefit/cheat for personal gains.

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#2992
  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?

To determine the provenance of anything is to determine its place or earliest point of origin. By linking each subsequent entry in a ledger or ordered system to the ones that came prior the proof of origination is easy to trace.

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

A normal database can be easily copied or changed at the whim of the controlling party. This ability to affect the data and act as its gatekeeper simultaneously leaves room for fraudulent or heinous activity. Removing the ability to modify the data restores the validity of its provenance.

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

Digital provenance through blockchain will allow for multiple industries to track their services and supply chains more efficiently. This will allow for currency, goods, and services to flow more smoothly through the transaction and manufacturing processes rather than forcing verification at every step.

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#2993

Blockchain enables digital provenance by being a public ledger. You can track/trace the history of a given item in the blockchain. You can be certain that the information was not changed due to the immutability a blockchain offers. It’s a trustlessness system, allows us to verify everything.

A normal database does not bring the same provenance because it’s typically one centralize location or company. They can easily change/manipulate the data because no one else its keeping track of there ledger since is not public.

Digital provenance is a great benefit to many businesses because there are many companies that operate on a model that information cannot be change and blockchain offer a great solution to their needs. You can verify that no one has touch the information you are trying to protect through mathematics, and if the information was changed you also see that the information was altered.

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#2994

thank you very much !! appreciate it have a nice day and keep on learning !

#2995

  1. blockchain enables digital provenance by creation of environment where trustlessness can be achieved by network of computers, each with same copy of public ledger which can be tracked & audited in real time allowing everyone to verify transaction instead of trusting someone.

  2. Normal database does not bring the same provenance which blockchain can provide, due to difference in how the database is structured. With blockchain, which can be descried as a digital stone, you will be able to add data/information but you can not remove the data/informaiton. This can be achieved with a network of computers and all with a same copy of ledger, each carrying the copy of entire blockchain/database. With this important feature in place, in case of bitcoin as an example, no one will be able to copy/duplicate another bitcoin. There is no cheating when blockchain is in place, creating trustlessness within its environment.

  3. Digital provenance brings great benefit to many businesses as it will bring greater efficiency combined with greater transparency. Using finance as an example, accounting layer and transaction layers can now be combined together to bring efficiency and, being publicly verifiable brings transparency.
    Blockchain is sensorship resistant by design.
    Blockchain enables creation of trustless-ness environment by design.
    All transactions can be tracked & audited in real time allowing everyone to verify transaction instead of trusting someone.

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#2996

  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance? It allows for making auditing and tracking of financial transactions super easy and in real-time. It still allows for the privacy of sensitive information with encryption and yet still makes the key information available and viewable for accountability.

  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance? Right now there are multiple databases or points of contact for accounting and invoicing of transactions.

  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses? It will improve efficiency, accountability of suppliers, improves the value of processes, supply chain insights, can improve compliance adherence, can improve the ethics of supply partners, can eliminate and help to verify with not relying simply on trust. Don’t trust. Verify.

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#2997

There are a lot of dbs to choose from, but why don’t they bring the same provenance as blockchain? :slight_smile:

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#2998

  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    Data can only be added and not taken out or changed (immutable) so you can see verify the transactions and see the movement of data.

  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    Data bases can be changed by the people who have access to do so. A normal database is a system based on trust.

  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    A more trustless system can be implemented reducing errors and fraud. It will be easier to see the movement of money or supplies or whatever you are tracking and know that the data has not been changed or manipulated.

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#2999
  1. It keep copies of the every single transaction (or ingredient or touchpoint in the supply chain) that are verifiable by every node in the system
  2. Normal databases can be altered and edited and information can be deleted or otherwise altered
  3. It provides verification instead of relying on trust alone
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#3001

I’m new to this but it’s my understanding from what Ivan said in the training that they do not provide as much transparency or accountability. Maybe I am missing something key? I feel like there may be more to it? Not 100% sure.

#3002

  1. Blockchain enable digital provenance by a decentralized network of computers which carry out Real Time Auditing using Math and Scientific Methods and Track and Trace Data.

  2. Normal database does not bring the same provenance because there is too much trust and it is not accessible to everyone and it can be manipulated.

  3. Digital provenance is of great benefit to many businesses because it brings about Efficiency and Trustlessness.

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#3003
  • Companies have to take ownership to be more transparent with their products. Actually, that can create positive competition among companies to outdo each other in providing customers with better quality goods… Thus, customers get what they pay for
    -Since there is real time auditing with Provenance, there will less need for auditors in the near future.
    -Relating to the above benefit, we may not need accountants to do our tax, as there is accurate traceabilility to each transaction, our business transactions are like an open book to the government to some extent(?)
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#3004

  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    The blockchain is decentralized with no single point of failure. Changes cannot be made without consensus.

  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    Normal databases are centralized databases. Meaning they have several points of failure, and are not limited to changes implemented by the central authority.

  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    Businesses now have the ability to verify their operations/products from creation to final destination, all while using a trustless system that is secured by a decentralized network.

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#3005

Traditional databases usually run on a centralized server that is administered by some third party. An individual user doesn’t have direct access to the database, but can interact with it using some UI interface.

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#3006

Thank you that breakdown is helpful!!

#3007

Homework on Provenance - Questions

  1. How does blockchain enable digital provenance?
    All information is stored in the chain from the beginning. It is visible by all users and can not be edited. Users can only create/add new information. All nodes in the network need to accept new information - and if it would not comply, it would be rejected. This allows checking without trust the origin of the information and correctness of the information.

  2. Why doesn’t a normal database bring the same provenance?
    Can be edited/hacked. It is centralized. It can be lost.

  3. Why is digital provenance such a great benefit to many businesses?
    As they can verify the origin of the information/product - trust is not needed.

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