@innonimatu
Blockchain technology is being used to help clean up the oceans. All "blockchain tech" really is is a publicly accessible and uncorruptable and unhackable (if set up properly) ledger. In this case it is being used to motivate locals to help with the cleanup efforts. They get paid for doing this, and they get paid for exactly what they picked up.. but it used to be tough to keep track of all this data while ensuring that it's legit, so it was always tough to get people to participate.
So the use here is this - they are able to easily piggypack on the blockchain, without having to build up any sort of database or build and maintain any sort of infrastructure. The technology is already in place. It's public and open, so everyone can check the state of the cleanup at any point in time. And when you drop off your haul of the garbage, it is all tracked and stored on the blockchain, so when it comes time to getting paid - everybody gets paid exactly what they are owed. Since it's impossible to hack the blockchain and alter this data, it leads to transparency, keeping everybody happy that nobody is cheating the system.
So yeah, sure, you could just use a sheet of paper and a pencil for this or an Excel spreadsheet or a custom built database or something. That's what they used to do - and it didn't work very well.
A link to the project so you can educate yourself further.
A page on their site that talks about how blockchain tech is used.
I'll tell you outright that it looks like a greewashing project*. But Let's look at the actual technological claims involved regarding blockchain. Unfortunately they're
scarce! The specific claim is:
A blockchain-based tracking system secures real-time data and track the origin of the recovered plastic and all the steps of the cleanup process until delivery at a local waste bank. This ensures true authenticity and the highest level of traceability.
First, let's look at the authenticity and traceability arguments. The obvious authenticity vulnerability for the purpose of fraud is in the step of doing the initial data entry into the database. Is the data being entered authentic? Blockchain does not change that. If the people tasked with entering the data decide to carry out fraud, by making up references, they can with either technology.
The only thing that "blockchain" brings to the table is increased difficulty in tampering with the data after it is entered. A malicious designer or maintainer of the system can still carry out frauds: one example would be by providing malicious software to consult the blockchain, which misreported read data, or alter data on entry. The position of gatekeeper with the ability to carry out fraud remains, and the need of a trusted gatekeeper remains. I see little gain: you could trust them to guard the integrity of a traditional database. Or if you didn't trust them, you could demand to have a replica of the database and audit that. Such is in fact what the blockchain provides but there is nothing unique about it, copying a database is just as easy. And the data within comes structured for easy analysis with standard tools (SQL).
The "blockchain" is more opaque to analysis.
If you are going to have some entity carry out formal audit processes, it can be done with either technology. You have to compare inputs and outputs with actual reality, the algorithms inside are not really relevant.
Now let's look at any efficiency claim - which in this case is not made, but suppose it was. Traditional approach, you only need one database system (and backups) to store and check the data involved in this use case. In this case you have a blockchain system. Do all the users have their local in-sync copy of the current data? For adding to it they must. But this is costly and inefficient, especially if the datasets grows fast. Do you have the whole bitcoin ledger? How big is it by now?
Or they use some software that links to a centralized system which actually holds the "blockchain". Which would be exactly like a traditional database, plus the word "blockchain" attached to it. I strongly suspect that will be the case. What does it actually add then? Mind you, if the blockchain data is held by a single entity then changing it and changing the database is equally easy, the defense against fraud remains a third party with a copy of the data going through the trouble of comparing.
I'm not convinced of the case for blockchain in this application.
*I'd also like to comment that the whole idea of this project is silly. If I understood correctly: pay random people for plastic collected from waterways? It's like paying for killed mice: pay enough for people to do it, and
they'll set up mouse farms. In this case, they'll dump entire dumpsters into waterways in order to have plastic to collect there. The incentives are perverse - they can easily prompt the opposite of what is intended.
This claim in particular is ridiculous:
The high level of traceability provides proof of the plastic’s source and authenticity certified by an independent third party and allows anyone to trace the plastic back to its extraction point and view its onwards journey to the waste bank.
No, the only thing that would provide
proof is having someone trusted do the collection and data entry. Truly having an "independent third party" watch the collecting itself doubles the man-hours worked for this thing. It's impossible. It's a lie. Plus:
quis custodiet custodes? Will an "independent fourth party" watch the third party?
Imo the whole project is a money grab by some NGO for its managers, that's the business plan. The expense is paying some poor sods in Indonesia to collect some plastics from somewhere in order to justify the whole set-up to donors. Talk of transparency and ritual invocation of blockchain serves as a smokescreen. And free publicity, perhaps some wealthy cryptostuff speculators will donate. Smart...
This problem is fixed by properly collecting and disposing of new garbage - donate to that. And by the local public authorities spending to hire people full time to clean up. Do you believe that people like "Antonio Astone, Global service manager Assurance and Supply Chain in DNV GL" care about cleaning up water courses in Indonesia?
