UNIT1

SYLLABUS
UNIT II: Hashing, public key cryptosystems, private vs public block chain and use cases, Hash Puzzles, Extensibility of Block chain
concepts, Digital Identity verification, Block chain Neutrality, Digital art, Block chain Environment

by
Dr. N. Sharmili
Associate Professor., Department of CSE,
GVPCEW

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

GAYATRI VIDYA PARISHAD COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING FOR WOMEN
[Approved by AICTE NEW DELHI, Affiliated to JNTUK Kakinada]
[Accredited by National Board of Accreditation(NBA) for B.Tech. CSE, ECE & IT – valid from 2019-22 and 2022-25]
[Accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with A Grade – valid from 2022-27]
Kommadi, Madhurawada, Visakhapatnam – 530048
blockchain 1.0 is a simple Ledger's that record transactions and the idea of that recording of transactions was to make sure
that any transaction that you make you ensure that it is replicated in many places and also it is collected into blocks which
are made permanent by creating hashes of blocks and storing the hashes in next block and also making each subsequent
block somehow dependent on the previous blocks by this hash chaining early example of blockchain 1.0 was Bitcoin
Create or delete the accounts
 Digital Identity Verification
• Identity verification is the concept of proving that an identity is a real one.It’s about proving a person is who they
say they are and that it’s a real person behind the actions. In most places around the world, identity
verification uses data such as name, DOB and address to prove an identity is real.

• Digital identity verification is the process of proving that an identity is real without ever having to meet someone
face-to-face. It confirms that a person is who they say they are and that the personal information they have
provided isn’t fake or stolen (identity fraud). Digital identity verification also helps ensure that it is actually a
person behind the screen and not fake identities.
• Digital Identity Verification works by comparing the data that a person sends ( e.g., document such as a passport
or biometric data such as a picture of their face ) against a verified data set which can include government
records, credit references or even mobile data.
• Digital identity verification speeds up the verification process, which is necessary for the fast pace of a digital
world in which the majority of our transactions take place online.
 Digital Identity Verification
There are six common ways to verify someone’s identity online.
1. Biometric verification: This method uses unique biological traits of an individual, such as your
fingerprint, iris or face recognition. Certain smartphones use fingerprint or face recognition to
verify your identity.
2. Document verification: This method uses government-issued identification documents. These can
be passports, driver’s licenses or national identity cards.
3. Knowledge-based verification: By requesting information that only the person should know, such
as their mother’s maiden name, or addresses where they’ve lived, the system verifies a person’s
identity.
4. Device authentication: This method involves verifying the device, such as a phone or computer,
used by the individual. Verification comes through the IP address or browser fingerprint.
5. Email verification: This one is prevalent due to emails’ broad acceptance across users. A system
uses personal credentials to set up the email account to verify the user for email verification.
6. Phone verification: Another typical verification process usually occurs in three steps.The
customer creates an account with their phone number and then the user receives a one-
time passcode via an SMS or phone call.Finally, the user submits the one-time passcode to obtain
verification.
 Digital Identity Verification
OneName, BitID, and BitHandle are examples of blockchain-based digital
identity services.

✓ OneName is decentralized digital identity verification system that runs on Namecoin protocol.
✓ OneName helps solve the problem that 27- through 34-character Bitcoin addresses are
cumbersome for human users.
✓ Some other Bitcoin wallet services and exchanges, like Coinbase, have allowed Bitcoin to be sent
to email addresses for some time. The OneName service is a more secure solution.
• With OneName, users can set up a more practical name (like a social media handle) to use
for Bitcoin transactions.
• After a user is registered with OneName, performing bitcoin transactions is as easy as adding a plus
sign to your username (for example, +DeMirage99).
• OneName is an open source protocol built on the Namecoin protocol that allows digital
identity verification, rather than allowing centralized social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn,
and Twitter to be the de facto identity verification platform, given that many websites have opted
to authenticate users with social media APIs.
• in September 2021, "OneName" was a project that aimed to provide decentralized identity and storage
solutions using blockchain technology, but it was later rebranded as "Blockstack." It's important to note that
OneName/Blockstack wasn't specifically about creating more practical names for Bitcoin transactions.
Instead, it focused on decentralized identity management and data storage.

• However, there are other projects and services that attempt to simplify Bitcoin addresses by associating
them with more user-friendly names. One such project is "HandCash," which provides a Bitcoin handle
system for easier transactions. Here's an example of how it might work:

Registration: A user downloads the HandCash wallet app and registers a unique handle, such as "$username."
Mapping: HandCash maintains a mapping between the registered handles and their corresponding Bitcoin
addresses.
Lookup: When someone wants to send Bitcoin to the user, they simply use the user's handle (e.g.,
"$username") instead of the full Bitcoin address.
Integration: Wallets or applications that integrate with HandCash's system can easily convert handles into
Bitcoin addresses behind the scenes.

In this example, the handle system provided by HandCash allows users to send and receive Bitcoin using
simple handles instead of complex Bitcoin addresses.
 Digital Identity Verification

1. BitID protocol allows users to login to websites with their Bitcoin address. Instead of “Login with
Facebook,” you can “Connect with Bitcoin” (your Bitcoin address). BitID is a decentralized
authentication protocol that takes advantage of Bitcoin wallets as a form of identification and QR
codes for service or platform access points.
2. BitID takes an already-verified identity that has been created by one online service, like a bank
or bitcoin exchange, and creates an ‘identity token’.
3. That token consists of two things: an actual Bitcoin address derived from the domain where the
identity was created, and eight bytes of code to signify what ID documents were used to verify it. The
token is then recorded on the blockchain.
4. This identity token can then be used by any other service using the BitID protocol. Anyone who wants
to verify that identity — another service or an individual — can simply scan a QR code to check that
the identity token exists.
5. Unlike other similar services, no detailed or identifying information is stored on the blockchain. Bi
BitID is a protocol that allows users to authenticate themselves using Bitcoin addresses without revealing any
sensitive information. It's a way to prove ownership of a Bitcoin address in a secure and decentralized manner.
BitID was designed to provide a simple and privacy-preserving method of authentication for various online
services, without requiring the user to create yet another username and password combination.
Here's how BitID works and an example of how it might be used:

User Registration: A user wants to sign up for a service that supports BitID authentication.
The user provides their Bitcoin address to the service during registration.
Alice wants to create an account on a social media platform that supports BitID.
Authentication Process: During registration, Alice provides her Bitcoin address: 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa
When the user wants to log in to the service, they are presented with a BitID authentication option.
The service generates a random nonce (a unique number used only once) and sends it to the user.
When Alice wants to log in, the social media platform generates a nonce: 123456
Signing the Nonce:
The user's wallet app receives the nonce from the service.
The user's wallet app creates a digital signature of the nonce using their private key associated with their Bitcoin address.
Alice's wallet app signs the nonce using her private key.
Verification: The social media platform verifies the signature using Alice's Bitcoin address.
The wallet app sends the signed nonce back to the service.
The service verifies the signature using the public key associated with the user's Bitcoin address.

Authentication Success:
If the verification is successful, Alice gains access to her account.
If the signature is valid, the service knows that the user owns the Bitcoin address and grants them access to the account.
Keep in mind that while BitID offers certain security and privacy advantages, it also requires users to secure their Bitcoin
private keys properly. If the private key is compromised, an attacker could potentially impersonate the user
The key advantage of BitID is that it eliminates the need for users to create and remember yet another set of
credentials (username and password) for each online service.
Additionally, since BitID relies on the security of the user's Bitcoin private key, it's resistant to many common
forms of online attacks like phishing.

Here's a simplified example of how a user might use BitID to authenticate themselves on a hypothetical
website:

Alice wants to create an account on a social media platform that supports BitID.
During registration, Alice provides her Bitcoin address: 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa
When Alice wants to log in, the social media platform generates a nonce: 123456
Alice's wallet app signs the nonce using her private key.
The social media platform verifies the signature using Alice's Bitcoin address.
If the verification is successful, Alice gains access to her account.
Keep in mind that while BitID offers certain security and privacy advantages, it also requires users to secure
their Bitcoin private keys properly. If the private key is compromised, an attacker could potentially
impersonate the user
 Digital Identity Verification

1. "handle" refers to a short and easily recognizable name or identifier that users
can link to a specific Bitcoin address. This handle is initially confirmed with the
user's real-life identity and can be searched for in the blockchain whenever
needed in the future. It simplifies the process of sharing and using Bitcoin
addresses, making transactions more user-friendly and accessible.
2. Bithandle offers short-handle registration, verification, and ecommerce service.
 Blockchain Neutrality
• Net neutrality is the idea that internet providers should allow access to all content and apps without
showing preference or blocking specific sources, products, or websites.
 Digital Divide of Bitcoin
The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals or communities who have access to digital
technologies and those who do not. When discussing the digital divide in the context of Bitcoin, it
typically refers to the disparities in access, understanding, and adoption of Bitcoin and other
cryptocurrencies.

Access to Technology: The first level of the digital divide is access to the necessary technology. To participate in the Bitcoin
ecosystem, individuals need access to a computer or smartphone, reliable internet connectivity, and electricity. In many
parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, these basic requirements are not universally available, creating a
divide between those who can access and use Bitcoin and those who cannot.

Financial Access: Another layer of the digital divide is financial access. Acquiring and using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin often
requires access to banking services, credit cards, or online payment systems. People who lack access to these financial tools
are at a disadvantage when it comes to participating in the cryptocurrency space.

Digital Literacy: Understanding and using Bitcoin requires a certain level of digital literacy. This includes knowledge of how
to set up wallets, send and receive transactions, and protect one's private keys. People who are less familiar with digital
technologies may find it challenging to navigate the complexities of using cryptocurrencies.
 Digital Divide of Bitcoin
Infrastructure and Connectivity: The speed and reliability of internet connectivity can also contribute to the digital divide.
Slow or unstable internet connections can hinder individuals' ability to participate in the Bitcoin network effectively,
especially for activities that require real-time interaction like trading.

Education and Awareness: Lack of education and awareness about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies can be a significant barrier.
People who are not aware of the potential benefits or risks associated with Bitcoin may be hesitant to adopt it. Educating
individuals about the technology, its potential applications, and its risks is crucial to bridging the divide.

Economic Disparities: The cost of acquiring and holding Bitcoin can be a barrier for those with limited financial means.
Bitcoin's price volatility can also make it a risky investment, which may deter individuals with lower risk tolerance or
financial stability.

Regulatory Environment: The regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies varies widely across different countries and
regions. Unclear or restrictive regulations can create barriers for individuals and businesses to adopt Bitcoin legally and
securely.

Efforts to bridge the digital divide of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies include initiatives to improve digital infrastructure,
promote financial inclusion, offer educational resources, and advocate for clearer regulatory frameworks. However,
addressing these divides is a complex challenge that requires collaboration between governments, businesses, and civil
society to ensure that the benefits of Bitcoin are accessible to a broader population.
 Digital Art -Blockchain Attestation Services
i. Hashing Plus Timestamping
ii. Proof of Existence
iii. Virtual Notary, Bitnotar, and Chronobit
iv. Monegraph: Online Graphics Protection
v. Digital Asset Proof as an Automated Feature
vi. Batched Notary Chains as a Class of Blockchain Infrastructure
vii. Personal Thinking Blockchains
 digital art

1. The term digital art in the blockchain industry is to refer to using the blockchain to register any
form of Intellectual Property (IP) (entirely digital or representing something in the physical
world) or conduct attestation services more generally, such as contract notarization.
2. The term digital art is also used in the blockchain industry to mean online graphics, images
photographs, or digitally created artworks that are digital assets, and thus IP to protect.

Attestation Services:
1. Attestation services (declaring something to be true, such as asset ownership) are referred
to as digital art. Attestation services relies on the blockchain functionality
of hashing and timestamping.
Blockchain attestation services with hashing and timestamping involve utilizing blockchain
technology to securely store and verify the integrity of certain digital data, documents, or
transactions.
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols,
names, and images used in commerce. It encompasses a wide range of intangible assets that are the result of human
creativity and innovation. Intellectual property is protected by law, granting exclusive rights to the creators or owners of
these assets, allowing them to control the use, distribution, and commercial exploitation of their creations.

There are several types of intellectual property, each with its own set of legal protections:
1.Copyright: Copyright protects original literary, artistic, and creative works such as books, music, paintings, films, and software.
Copyright holders have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative works based on their
creations.
2.Trademarks: Trademarks are symbols, names, words, or other distinctive features used to identify and distinguish goods or services in
the marketplace. They serve to protect brand identity and prevent confusion among consumers.
3.Patents: Patents grant inventors exclusive rights to their inventions for a limited period of time. This protection encourages innovation
by providing inventors with the opportunity to profit from their inventions and recoup research and development costs.
4.Trade Secrets: Trade secrets are confidential business information that provides a competitive advantage. Examples include formulas,
processes, customer lists, and marketing strategies. Unlike other forms of intellectual property, trade secrets are protected as long as
they remain confidential.
5.Industrial Designs: Industrial designs protect the aesthetic and visual aspects of an object, such as the shape, pattern, or ornamentation
of a product. These designs contribute to the visual appeal of products and can also be protected under intellectual property law.
6.Geographical Indications: Geographical indications identify products that originate from a specific geographic location and possess
qualities, reputation, or characteristics associated with that location. Examples include Champagne, Roquefort cheese, and Darjeeling tea.
7.Plant Varieties: Plant variety protection grants exclusive rights to plant breeders over new varieties they've developed. This encourages
the development of new and improved plant species.
Intellectual property rights allow creators, inventors, and innovators to benefit from their efforts and investment in research and
development. They also play a crucial role in fostering creativity, innovation, and economic growth by providing legal frameworks that
protect and incentivize the creation and dissemination of new ideas and creations. However, balancing these rights with the public
interest and promoting fair use and access to information is an ongoing challenge in the field of intellectual property law.
Hashing Plus Timestamping
Hashing is a cryptographic process that takes input data and produces a fixed-size string of characters, which appears random.
Even a small change in the input data will result in a significantly different hash output. Hashing is used to create a unique
identifier (hash) for a piece of data, like a digital file. This hash acts like a digital fingerprint for the data, making it possible to
detect any alterations. Timestamps provide evidence that the data existed at a certain point in time and haven't been altered
since
• Hashing is running a computing algorithm over any content file (a document, a genome file, a GIF file,
a video, etc.), the result of which is a compressed string of alphanumeric characters that cannot be
back-computed into the original content.
• The hash represents the exact content of original file. Anytime the content needs to be reconfirmed, the same hash
algorithm is run over the file, and the hash signature will be the same if the file has not changed.
• The hash is included as text in a blockchain transaction, which thus provides the secure timestamping function, when
a specific attestation transaction occurred. Via the hash, the original file content has essentially been encoded into the
blockchain.
• Blockchain attestation services more generally comprise all manner of services related to document filing, storage,
and registry; notary services (validation); and IP protection.
• Blockchain has the ability to use cryptographic hashes as a permanent and public way to record and store information,
and also to find it later with a block explorer. The core functionality is the ability to verify a digital asset via a public
general ledger.
• There are several blockchain-based attestation services in different stages of development or proof of concept, such as
Proof of Existence, Virtual Notary, Bitnotar, Chronobit, and Pavilion.io.
 Blockchain attestation services use the hashing and timestamping processes to create a digital proof of
the authenticity and existence of a piece of data at a particular point in time.
Here's how the process generally works:
Hash Generation: The data (document, file, or information) is subjected to a hashing algorithm, which generates a unique
hash code.
Timestamping: The hash, along with a timestamp, is added to a transaction or record on the blockchain. This establishes
the data's existence at that specific time.
Blockchain Entry: The transaction is added to a block on the blockchain. The subsequent blocks in the blockchain
reference the hash of the previous block, creating a secure and tamper-resistant chain of information.
Verification: At any point in the future, the hash of the original data can be recalculated and compared to the hash stored
on the blockchain. If the hashes match, it indicates that the data hasn't been altered since it was timestamped and added to
the blockchain.

Blockchain attestation services with hashing and timestamping can be used for various purposes, such as:
•Proving the existence of a digital document or file at a specific point in time (proof of existence).
•Providing evidence for intellectual property claims.
•Ensuring the integrity of data for legal or compliance purposes.
•Creating an immutable audit trail for transactions and records.
Blockchain attestation with Proof of Existence is a process that utilizes blockchain technology to create
an immutable and timestamped record of the existence of a particular piece of digital data or document.
This process is often used to prove that a specific digital file or information existed at a certain point in time,
which can be valuable for various purposes, such as legal documentation, intellectual property protection,
and evidence in disputes.

Here's how the process of blockchain attestation with Proof of Existence generally works:
Data Hashing: The process begins by generating a cryptographic hash of the digital data or document that
you want to attest to. A hash is a fixed-length string of characters that uniquely represents the content of the
data. Even a minor change in the data will result in a significantly different hash.
Blockchain Transaction: The generated hash is then included in a transaction on a blockchain. This
transaction is usually associated with a specific timestamp, effectively recording the hash and timestamp on
the blockchain.
Timestamping: The timestamp associated with the transaction provides a record of when the data hash was
added to the blockchain. This establishes the existence of the data at that particular moment in time.
Decentralized Ledger: The blockchain, as a decentralized and immutable ledger, ensures that once the
hash and timestamp are recorded, they cannot be altered or deleted. This provides a trustworthy and tamper-
resistant record of the data's existence.
Verification: In the future, anyone can independently verify the existence of the data by generating the hash
of the same data and comparing it to the hash recorded on the blockchain. If the hashes match, it confirms
that the data existed at the specified time.

Proof and Evidence: The blockchain record serves as a digital proof or evidence that the data existed in its
specific state at the time of the transaction. This can be used for legal purposes, intellectual property claims,
or resolving disputes.

The Proof of Existence concept utilizes the transparency, immutability, and timestamping features of
blockchain technology to establish a robust and independently verifiable record of data existence. While
Proof of Existence does not necessarily prove ownership or provide copyright protection, it can be a
valuable tool for establishing the creation date of digital content and demonstrating that a certain piece of
data existed prior to a particular point in time.

Several platforms and services offer Proof of Existence functionalities, allowing individuals and businesses to
easily timestamp and attest to their digital data on a blockchain.
 Proof of Existence
One of the first services to offer blockchain attestation is Proof of Existence.
Proof of Existence demonstrates document ownership without revealing the information it contains, and it provides proof
that a document was authored at a particular time. With this tool, the blockchain can be used to prove the existence and
exact contents of a document or other digital asset at a certain time.
Attorneys, clients, and public administrators could use the Proof of Existence blockchain functionality to prove the existence
of many documents including wills, deeds, powers of attorney, health care directives, promissory notes, the satisfaction of a promissory note, and so
on without disclosing the contents of the document.
With the blockchain timestamp feature, users can prove that a document (like a will) they will be presenting to a court in
the future is the same unaltered document that was presented to the blockchain at a prior point in time.
How does Proof of Existence Works?
1. present your document (or any file) to the service website;
2. you’re then prompted to “click or drag and drop your document here.” The site does not upload or copy the content of
the document but instead (on the client side) converts the contents to a cryptographic digest or hash. Thus, the hash
represents the exact contents of the document presented.
3. The cryptographic hash of the document is inserted into a transaction, and when the transaction is mined into a block,
the block timestamp becomes the document’s timestamp,and
4. using the hash the document’s content has essentially been encoded into the blockchain.
5. When the same document is presented again, the same marker will be created and therefore provide verification that the
documents are the same.
6. If, however, the document has changed in any way, the new marker will not match the previous marker.
This is how the system verifies the document.
Proof of Existence as a decentralized method of verification, a kind of cryptographic notary service
allows users to upload a file and pay a transaction fee to have a cryptographic proof of it included
on the bitcoin block chain.
The actual file is not stored online and therefore does not risk unwanted publication of the user's
material.
After anonymously uploading the document and paying the network fee, a hash of the document
(or any other type of digital file) is generated as part of the transaction.

Basically, by inserting the cryptographic hash of the document in a transaction, when that
transaction is mined into a block, the block timestamp becomes the document’s timestamp

giving people more ownership of personal data. if you are writing a paper or you have an idea for a
patent, in some cases you need to prove that you owned the idea or the paper before someone
else.“

Proof of Existence can be used to demonstrate document ownership without revealing the
information it contains, and to provide proof that a document was authored at a particular time.
 Proof of Existence
Benefits:
1.Original documents are not stored on the blockchain, just their hash is stored, which is accessible
by private key.
2. Whenever a proof of existence needs to be confirmed, the hash does not need to (and cannot)
translate back into the document. The document can be verified as unchanged, if the recomputed
hash is the same as the original hash registered in the blockchain.
Limitations:
There are some limitations to hashing-plus-timestamping blockchain attestation services.
1. a blockchain is not required for timestamping, because other third-party services provide this for
free, whereas a small transaction fee (to compensate miners) is required to post a digital
asset attestation to the blockchain.
2. blockchain transaction confirmations are not immediate; the time the document was added to
the blockchain is recorded, not when the document was submitted.
3. timestamping does not prove ownership.
4. the hash might be less secure when you’re hashing very large documents (an 8-GB genome file,
for example) compared to small documents (a standard IOU contract)
 Virtual Notary
• Virtual Notary is another project that similarly conceptualizes the need and fulfillment of blockchain attestation
services.
• Like Proof of Existence, Virtual Notary does not store files but instead provides a certificate that attests to the
file’s contents at the moment of submission.
• The service provides a certificate virtual notary-type service for many different “file types” such as documents,
web pages, Twitter feeds, stock prices, exchange rates, weather conditions, DNS entries, emailaddress
verifications, university affiliations, real estate values, statements and contracts,and random-number drawing.
• Files can be in any format, including Microsoft Word, PDF, JPG, PNG, TXT, and PPT (Microsoft
PowerPoint). The site generates a certificate that can be downloaded from the site, and also offers the other side
of the service — examining existing certificates.
• Virtual Notary’s aim is to provide a digital, neutral, dispassionate witness for recording online facts and
conveying them to third parties in a trustworthy manner.
• Two other blockchain timestamp projects are Bitnotar and Chronobit. Two other virtual notary projects are
Blocksign and btcluck.

• A similar blockchain-based project for contract signing is Pavilion.io, which provides the service much cheaper
than Adobe EchoSign or DocuSign; contracts are free to send and only one mBTC to sign.
 Monegraph: Online Graphics Protection

One digital-art protection project built and intended as a proof of concept using the
blockchain ledger Bitcoin is Monegraph,
Using this (currently free) application, individuals can facilitate the monetization of their online graphics — digital
media they have already created and posted on the Web — by registering their assets. Just as Bitcoin verifies
currency ownership, Monegraph verifies property ownership;
This an example of the smart property application of the blockchain. Monegraph could be a complementary
service or feature for stock photo image and graphic repository websites like Shutterstock or Getty Images,
possibly adding future functionality related to image use enforcement and tracking.
 Monegraph: Online Graphics Protection
To use the service, users sign in to Monegraph via Twitter and choose a URL location of a digital
asset, such as artwork. Paying a small network fee via the namecoin QT client results in the Twitter
account and URL being placed on the block chain.
Working of Monegraph:
Monegraph works in a two-step process using Twitter, Namecoin, and Monegraph.
Namecoin is used because it is an altcoin that can be used to verify DNS registrations in an automated,
decentralized way; any similar DNS confirmation service could be used.
1. To stake the claim, the user goes to http://www.monegraph.com/, gives it permission to sign
into Twitter account (via the standardized Twitter API OAuth token),
2. supply the URL of the graphic, upon which Monegraph automatically tweets a link to that image in the
correct format.
3. To record the title, after Monegraph tweets the link to the image, it provides a block of code for the user
to copy and paste into the Namecoin client.
4. The user initiates a new transaction in the Namecoin wallet and adds the block of code as the key and
value in the Namecoin transaction (you can see the transaction
here: http://bit.ly/monegraph_verification).
5. Only one copy of a digital image can ever have a valid Monegraph signature. Monegraph images are just
ordinary image files, so they can be duplicated and distributed like any other images, but only the original
file will pass validation against the Monegraph system.
Monegraph, a collaborative project between a New York University professor and a technologist offers a radical new way
for artists to secure digital property – by logging it in the namecoin block chain.

To use the service, users sign in to Monegraph via Twitter and choose a URL location of a digital asset, such as artwork.
Paying a small network fee via the namecoin QT client results in the Twitter account and URL being placed on the block
chain.
One application for users would be to create a hash that combines a Twitter account with a public image of themselves posted on the
web as a method of verifying identity.

I'm using @monegraph to claim t

at http://t.co/XXoyr4FjNN #mon
1.Ownership and Provenance: Monegraph would enable artists, photographers, and creators to create a
unique digital token representing their artwork or image. This token would be stored on a blockchain,
providing an immutable record of ownership and provenance. This feature could appeal to content creators
who want to establish and protect their ownership rights.
2.Licensing and Transactions: Stock photo repositories could integrate Monegraph functionality, allowing
artists to tokenize their images and offer them for licensing. Buyers interested in using the image would
purchase the token, granting them the right to use the image under agreed-upon terms. These transactions
would be recorded on the blockchain, providing transparency and a verifiable record of ownership transfer.
3.Enforcement and Tracking: As you mentioned, Monegraph could potentially add features for image use
enforcement and tracking. Blockchain's transparent nature could enable automated enforcement of licensing
terms, ensuring that images are used according to the agreed-upon permissions. Additionally, the blockchain
ledger could track the history of image use and transactions, making it easier to trace the origin and usage of
the image over time.
4.Transparency and Trust: Monegraph's use of blockchain technology would enhance transparency and
trust in the stock photo industry. Buyers and creators alike could have confidence in the legitimacy of
ownership and the accuracy of usage history.

The idea of using blockchain for digital ownership and licensing has potential applications beyond art and
images, extending to other digital content such as music, videos, and more.
 Ascribe
1. A related digital art and copyright protection project is Ascribe, which is aimed at providing an
underlying infrastructure for IP registry.
2. The company is building an “ownership layer” for digital property in the form of a service
to register and transfer copyright. Although existing copyright law offers creators protection
against infringement and the right to commercialize, there is no simple, global interface to
register, license, and transfer copyright.
Working of Ascribe:
1. The Ascribe service registers a digital work with the service hashes and timestamping it onto the
blockchain. An earlier step in the registration process uses machine learning to detect and resolve
any prior-art challenges.
2. Ownership rights can then be transferred, which enables secondary markets for digital IP.
The service handles digital fine art, photos, logos, music, books, blog posts, tweets, 3D CAD files,
and more. Users need no prior knowledge of the intricacies of the blockchain, copyright law,
or machine learning to benefit from the service.
The bulk of Ascribe’s users are marketplaces and white-label web services that use Ascribe in the
background, though individual users can use the site directly, as well.
 Digital Asset Proof as an Automated Feature
process of providing proof of ownership and authenticity for digital assets using blockchain

• Digital asset protection in the form of blockchain registry could be an automatically applied
standardized feature of digital asset publication.
• For certain classes of assets or websites, digital asset protection could be invoked at the moment of
publication of any digital content. Some examples could include GitHub commits, blog posts, tweets,
Instagram/Twitpic photos, and forum participations.
• Digital asset protection could be offered just as travel insurance is with airline ticket purchases.
• At account setup with Twitter, blogging sites, wikis, forums, and GitHub, the user could approve
micropayments for digital asset registration (by supplying a Bitcoin wallet address).
• Cryptocurrency now as the embedded economic layer of the Web provides microcontent with
functionality for micropayment and microIPprotection.
• Cryptocurrency provides the structure for this, whether microcontent is tokenized and batched into
blockchain transactions or digital assets are registered themselves with their own blockchain
addresses.
• Blockchain attestation services could also be deployed more extensively not just for IP registry, but
more robustly to meet other related needs in the publishing industry, such as rights transfer and
content licensing.
 Batched Notary Chains as a Class of Blockchain Infrastructure
a concept within blockchain infrastructure that involves grouping or batching multiple notarization transactions
together into chains.

• It is important to remember that this is only the outset of what could blossom into a full-fledged
blockchain economy with blockchain technology enabling every aspect of human endeavor, the
blockchain being like the Internet, and the blockchain as the fifth wave of the Internet.
• In this vein, it is possible that all current blockchain-related activity could be seen as early-stage
prototypes looking back from some future moment. What are piecemeal services now could be
collected into classes of blockchain services.
• From the point of view of overall design principles for the blockchain infrastructure, we would
expect to see these classes of sector-specific functionality arriving.
• Not just separate blockchain notary services, but a new class of notary chains themselves as
part of the evolving blockchain infrastructure. Notary chains are an example of a DAO/DAC, a
more complicated group of operations that together perform a class of functions incorporating
blockchain technology. In this case, this is the idea of notary chains as a class of blockchain
protocols for attestation services.
The concept described involves using notary chains as a type of blockchain protocol for attestation services. The
goal is to make the attestation process more efficient by grouping multiple transactions or notarized assets into
batches, rather than processing each individual transaction separately. These batches, referred to as notary
blocks, would consist of hashed digital assets' information. These notary blocks themselves would be hashed
and then added to the blockchain, optimizing the system's use and reducing blockchain bloat.

The approach capitalizes on the unidirectional nature of hash functions, ensuring the existence of the block-level
hash as proof of the subhashes' existence. This idea has been explored by projects like Factom, which aims to
implement batched transaction upload in blockchain blocks. By employing blockchain's attestation and notary
capabilities, the proposed approach seeks to streamline transaction processing and maintain blockchain
efficiency.

As blockchain technology evolves, questions arise about the balance between hierarchical and decentralized
structures, particularly in larger-scale design architectures. This advancement in blockchain design has the
potential to bring about significant changes in how various applications, including attestation and notarization
services, are conducted and integrated into blockchain networks.
 Batched Notary Chains as a Class of Blockchain Infrastructure
• For example, it might be more efficient to post batches of transactions as opposed to
every individual transaction (requiring the greater-than-zero mining cost).
• Notary blocks could be composed of the hashes of many digitally notarized assets; the
blocks themselves could then be hashed so that the notary block is the unit that is
inscribed into the blockchain, making more efficient use of the system rather than every
single digital artifact that has been notarized.
• Because hashes are a one-way function, the existence of the block-level hash in the
Bitcoin blockchain constitutes proof of the existence of the subhashes.
• Moving blockchain design into such an “industrial” DAO/DAC phase brings up interesting
questions about how the optimal mix of hierarchical and decentralized architectures will
play out in large-scale design architectures.
• Factom is a project developing the idea of batched transaction upload in blocks to the
blockchain, using the blockchain attestation/notary hash functionality to batch
transactions as a means of avoiding blockchain bloat
Personal Thinking Blockchains" in the context of attestation services could refer to a concept where
individuals or entities have their own dedicated blockchain instances for managing their attestation needs
and data. This personalized approach aims to provide users with greater control, security, and flexibility
when it comes to documenting and verifying their digital assets, transactions, and other relevant
information.
 Personal Thinking Blockchains
More speculatively for the farther future, the notion of blockchain technology as the automated
accounting ledger, the quantized-level tracking device, could be extensible to yet another category
of record keeping and administration.
There could be “personal thinking chains” as a life-logging storage and backup mechanism. The
concept is “blockchain technology + in vivo personal connectome” to encode and make useful in a
standardized compressed data format all of a person’s thinking.

The data could be captured via intracortical recordings, consumer EEGs, brain/computer interfaces,
cognitive nanorobots, and other methodologies.

Thus, thinking could be instantiated in a blockchain— and really all of an individual’s subjective
experience, possibly eventually consciousness, especially if it’s more precisely defined.

After they’re on the blockchain, the various components could be administered and transacted—for
example, in the case of a post-stroke memory restoration. Just as there has not been a good model
with the appropriate privacy and reward systems that the blockchain offers for the public sharing of
health data and quantified-self-tracking data, likewise there has not been a model or means of
sharing mental performance data
Personal Thinking Blockchains
In the case of mental performance data, there is even more stigma attached to sharing personal data, but these kinds
of “lifestreaming + blockchain technology” models could facilitate a number of ways to share data privately, safely,
and remuneratively.

As mentioned, in the vein of life logging, there could be personal thinking blockchains to capture and safely encode all
of an individual’s mental performance, emotions, and subjective experiences onto the blockchain, at minimum for
backup and to pass on to one’s heirs as a historical record.

Personal mindfile blockchains could be like a next generation of Fitbit or Apple’s iHealth on the iPhone 6, which now
automatically captures 200+ health metrics and sends them to the cloud for data aggregation and imputation into
actionable recommendations. Similarly, personal thinking blockchains could be easily and securely recorded
(assuming all of the usual privacy concerns with blockchain technology are addressed) and mental performance
recommendations made to individuals through services such as Siri or Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, perhaps piped
seamlessly through personal brain/computer interfaces and delivered as both conscious and unconscious
suggestions.

Again perhaps speculatively verging on science fiction, ultimately the whole of a society’s history might include not just
a public records and document repository, and an Internet archive of all digital activity, but also the mindfiles of
individuals. Mindfiles could include the recording of every “transaction” in the sense of capturing every thought and
emotion of every entity, human and machine, encoding and archiving this activity into life-logging blockchains
In the distant future, blockchain technology could extend its applications to include a concept referred to as
"personal thinking chains." This speculative idea involves the combination of blockchain technology and an
individual's neural connections, creating a standardized and compressed data format for storing an individual's
thoughts and experiences. This data would be captured using methods such as brain recordings, EEGs, brain-
computer interfaces, and cognitive nanorobots.

This would result in the creation of "thinking blockchains," where an individual's subjective experiences,
thoughts, and emotions are encoded. The data stored in these blockchains could be managed and transacted,
potentially facilitating applications like post-stroke memory restoration. While privacy concerns are pertinent,
these blockchain models could offer secure and private sharing of mental performance data.

Similar to life-logging, personal thinking blockchains could capture an individual's mental activities, emotions,
and experiences, serving as a backup and historical record. Just as health metrics are recorded and aggregated
by devices like Fitbit, personal thinking blockchains could provide mental performance recommendations
through AI assistants like Siri or Alexa. In a speculative and science-fiction-like scenario, society's history might
include not only public records and digital archives but also individual "mindfiles" containing the recorded
thoughts and emotions of humans and machines. This concept envisions a comprehensive repository of all
mental activity, archived in life-logging blockchains.