How useful it is to issue digital certificates on the blockchain?

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Blockchain technology is used in several ways in varied industries for offering high-security managing distribution systems and recording valuable information. Blockchain records all transactions without any verification from third parties. An evolving issue in recent years is - counterfeiting certification. It is posing serious threats to people. Issuing paper-based certificates manually is prone to errors and time- consuming. Day by day, the number of people's data is increasing, so deploying a system for both issuing and verifying digital certificates based on blockchain technology can solve issues of forged documents.

What is the current problem with document certification?

Many organisations and businesses need original documents for verification purposes before further processing. Some valuable documents like (birth certificates) exist only once. Parties involved in verification and issuing other certificates may experience hesitancy to handle these sensitive documents and that can result in damage or even loss. Many parties are unable to protect the valuable physical pieces of paper with this process. Another big problem comes from data theft. Many people have reported it. So the question comes: how can this issue be solved? Creating digital proof or digital certificates certified or signed by respective institutions or authorised organisations can be beneficial. With blockchain-based digital certificates, you can access and verify the digital asset's authenticity without depending on any intermediary or third party. Traditional data records like paper files deteriorate over time. storing records like digital certificates on the blockchain can help in safeguarding sensitive credentials from destruction & damage. Blockchain document security methods can help users seamlessly secure their sensitive documents.

What about blockchain solutions?

Blockchain technology has brought a revolution in storing and sharing data. The mechanism of cryptography helps in keeping information fully secured. Blockchain offers a digital ledger or decentralised database of data. Centred on computer networks that approve updates before data get recorded and verified. It lessens the reliance and vulnerability of centralised data storage. Instead of handling physical pieces of documents, issuing and storing digital certificates in blockchain can be advantageous to users. You can efficiently utilise the benefits of blockchain, like - authentication, encryption and decentralisation. Every certificate consists of references of both issuer and receiver with a hash (a sign of document), that is stored in the public database. It is identical in the number of computers throughout the globe. These digital certificates with blockchain technology have vital additional advantages over any other certificates.

How does blockchain make digital certificates work?

When a digital certificate is issued, data gets digitised. A digital identity gets assigned to every certificate. All of the digital certificates are tagged as well as traceable. Original documents are stored safely in the computer networks in the blockchain which are known as nodes. In totality, blockchain makes digital certificates highly transparent and secured. It also makes it easy to unfurl any fraud because this technology can expose any forged or outdated certificates.

Are these digital certificates tamper-proof?

Yes, the digital certificates are tamper-proof not by just signing but right after the beginning of the transaction. A signing algorithm produces a signature that is encrypted through a private key. The digital signature in these certificates can never be forged without having access to the private key of the user or members. With the help of document security QR codes, users can secure their valuable credentials.

What are the potential benefits of issuing digital certificates on the blockchain?

Blockchain has evolved to be beneficial for the financial industry. This technology is the most talked about and sought-after technology used in the world. There are innumerable benefits of issuing digital certificates on the blockchain. Some of them are here: a) Require fewer resources for issuance: Issuance and maintenance of digital certificates on the blockchain require a very less number of resources. As a result, the whole process saves time, effort and human capital. b) Digital certificates are conveyable: Contrary to physical certificates, the digital ones issued on the blockchain need not be carried around every place. Digital certificates are there to exist for a lifetime. These certificates can be easily accessed on any of your devices from any part of the world. c) Ideal as Identity proof: Digital certificates based on blockchain are the best substitution for the traditional proofs of paper identification. Digital certificates are issued on a highly secured framework of blockchain which is fully secured. These verifiable certificates can be easily traced all the way back to an issuer. This method makes the procedure transparent. You can use the blockchain document security method for securing and storing your valuable documents. d) Gives overall data security: Paper certificates can also take days and months to get issued and dispatched. Paper certificates can be altered without issuing the institute's knowledge and that is risky. Digital certificates issued on the blockchain can not be altered by any person. If someone tries to tamper with it, then verification will fail. This makes data in your digital certificates fully secured as well as traceable. e) No third party requirement: Blockchain verification of digital certificates can be performed by any person having access to the network. There is no need for any third party interference for verification. Digital certificates can be verified even if any organisation that issued them no longer exists. f) For micro-credentialing: Every data remains encrypted in the digital certificates issued on the blockchain. Organisations or businesses can issue "micro-credentialing" for recognizing, career skills, learning and so on. It can help both students and organisations. g) Comes at an affordable cost: Using blockchain is not expensive. With the help of the blockchain-powered platform, you can issue digital certificates for numerous services with ease. You may need no extra software or hardware and be done with an internet connection. So in nutshell, the unique features of blockchain technology make issuing digital certificates easy and tamper-proof. Blockchain technology simplifies and facilities the entire process of issuance of digital certificates. It also helps in the easy transfer of these certificates leading to the expansion of contents and information. We hope in the next few years, more and more organisations will come forward in embracing digital certificates issuance on the blockchain. A blockchain document security system can help you to secure sensitive credentials with ease.

The Ultimate Guide for Verifiable Credential

Posted on August 22, 2023

The number of fake certificates issued is growing by the day. These certificates are cheap to buy and save time and effort on the part of the buyer. For the producer, it means unmitigated profits for some unauthorized work they’ll probably not get caught for. But these certificates are becoming a huge problem across industries, especially for educational institutions and employers, since they look eerily similar to the legitimate ones.

The need for a verifiable alternative is too strong and this is where verifiable credentials come in. Verifiable credentials present a way to verify credentials within seconds and is a safe and secure alternative to physical and digital certificates. Wondering how? Let’s find out.

What are Verifiable Credentials?

Verifiable credentials are digitally generated copies of physical documents or original documents that are tamper-proof, can be verified by machines, and use privacy-enhancing technologies. Hosted on decentralized technology, verifiable credentials blockchain reduce the need for an intermediary and can be the ideal solution to the fake certificates problem.

They help authenticate the validity of the information stored in the document and can be adopted by industries and organizations globally for issuing internal or external documents.

For instance, educational institutions can use verifiable credentials to issue graduation certificates for their students, an employer can issue employee IDs, the government can issue driving licenses, doctors can issue medical certificates, and so on.

Although easy to issue, not every organization is authorized to issue verifiable credentials. Only organizations that meet the predetermined set of rules and regulations—known as Verifiable Credentials Data Model 1.0—set by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) can legally issue verifiable credentials.

Verifiable credentials are made up of three core elements:

Metadata: It might or might not contain the digital signature of the issuer, but it contains other relevant data about a credential, such as its issue and expiry dates and data about the issuer.
Claim: The second element of a verifiable credential supports the authentication of the claims or the declarations it was issued to validate.
Proof: The final element allows individuals and organizations to verify the source of the data, check if it has been tampered with, and if it has been issued by an entity authorized to do so.

These three elements combined with blockchain make verifiable credentials a better alternative to their physical and other digital counterparts.

How Does Verifiable Credential Work?

A verifiable credential is issued by an issuer when they digitally sign one using their private cryptographic key. Upon issuance, they share it with a holder who has control over the issued credential and can share and use it as they please.

The individuals or organizations a holder shares the credential with are known as the verifier. They verify the credential’s authenticity on the blockchain to understand if it’s relevant, has been tampered with, and issued by an authorized source.

If this sounds confusing, why not let the pros handle the complex behind-the-scenes (BTS)? Use ProofEasy to begin issuing verifiable credentials at a budget-friendly price. Its customizable API layer will make it easier for you to integrate it in your existing system without upgrading it needlessly. So why don’t you reach out to the ProofEasy team today?!