14 DAY TRIAL // The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is accepting project and product proposals from small US businesses on a series of topics, among which the blockchain technology, the very heart that powers the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
Blockchain (often spelled block chain as well) is a database model that stores data amongst multiple servers. The data is protected cryptographically using such a complex system that it prevents tampering even from server administrators.
The technology is so powerful that it managed to impress even banks, nine of them having gathered back in September to launch a research group to investigate how blockchains could be used inside their own systems.
According to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the DHS is now looking into this very same technology, as Cryptocurrency News reports.
DHS looking into blockchain, IoT, and malware
SBIR, launched in 1982, is a program that provides a list of topics and technologies and invites small US businesses with up to 500 employees to carry out research or create new products and services based on that list.
This year's program features ten subjects, all related to security topics, of which two are Bitcoin blockchain-related. The full list is as follows:
⍈ Blockchain Applications for Homeland Security Analytics ⍈ Applicability of Blockchain Technology to Privacy Respecting Identity Management ⍈ Malware Prediction for Situational Understanding and Preemptive Cyber Defense ⍈ Security Systems Video/Audio Interoperability Device ⍈ Using Social Media to Support Timely and Targeted Emergency Response Actions ⍈ Internet of Things Low-Cost Flood Inundation Sensor ⍈ Low-Cost, Real-Time Data Analytics for Underserved EMS Agencies ⍈ Real-Time Assessment of Resilience and Preparedness ⍈ Remote Identity Proofing Alternatives to Knowledge Based Authentication/Verification ⍈ Autonomous Indoor Navigation and Tracking of First Responders
As you can see, besides Bitcoin tech, the DHS is also considering acquiring information and research about the much-maligned and quite insecure Internet of Things, malware prediction systems, and "social media usage."
While the DHS may have some interesting papers and products for implementing blockchain tech inside its own systems, we doubt that something useful will come out of malware prediction systems. On the other hand, the DHS may receive some interesting research regarding its IoT topic.