Telefónica Tech launch document verification service using blockchain

Person signing document

Telefónica Tech, the Madrid-based telecoms company behind O2 and Vivo, has launched its own blockchain-based document certification service.

The new service utilises Telefónica’s in-house TrustOS platform to generate certificates that combine the digital signature of the user with a trace of the content to be certified, alongside a time stamp to establish the date of certification.

It will allow companies to generate digital evidence of authorship, ownership, and...

2 September 2021 | Applications

Is blockchain the key to trust in social media?

Social media apps on a smartphone.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 drew massive attention to the way in which social media companies handle their users’ private data.

At the time, details regarding how Facebook had been providing users' personal information to third parties made the headlines around the globe, and caused the public to think more carefully about what happens to the personal data they offer social media firms.

Since then, it seems that trust in social media companies has...

30 August 2021 | Blockchain

Liquid hit by $100m crypto heist in second major hack this week

Crypto Hacker

Liquid, a Japanese cryptocurrency exchange, has been hit by a cyberattack that saw $97 million (£71m) stolen from users’ digital wallets.

Liquid said some of its digital currency wallets had been “compromised,” and that hackers were transferring the assets to four different wallets.

“We are currently investigating and will provide regular updates,” Liquid tweeted. “In the meantime deposits and withdrawals will be suspended.”

Although no estimated...

20 August 2021 | Cryptocurrency

Blockchain identity market to grow £2.57bn by 2025

Cambridge Analytica, blockchain and data breaches

Infiniti Research has forecast a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 71% for the global blockchain identity management market from 2021 to 2025.

The marketing research firm’s new report, titled ‘Global Blockchain Identity Management Market 2021-2025’, expects the global market to grow by $3.58 billion (£2.57bn) during the four year period.

The study assumes that the market for blockchain identity management will continuously expand as the growth of cloud...

2 August 2021 | Security

VeriBlock Foundation reveals MESS vulnerability in Ethereum classic blockchain

An Etherum coin next to US dollars and a wallet.

The team behind VeriBlock Blockchain has published details of a critical security vulnerability in Ethereum Classic's MESS protocol, which it disclosed to ETC developers in October 2020, prior to the activation of the consensus technology on the mainnet.

The VeriBlock Blockchain project extends Bitcoin's Proof-of-Work (PoW) security to the world's blockchains in a decentralised, trustless, transparent and permissionless (DTTP) manner.

The team intentionally omitted one...

9 July 2021 | Security

Blockchain-based Polys introduces new voting methods and usability improvements

Voters submitting their ballot paper.

Polys, a blockchain-based voting platform from the Kaspersky Innovation Hub, has been enhanced with new voting methods to support common customer requests. 

The platform has also been updated with new features for organisers that make election administration and orchestration easier. 

Over the past year, various aspects of people’s lives have moved online, including making joint decisions. That has led to the number of sessions on Polys increasing threefold...

6 July 2021 | Security

Chainalysis valued at £3.6 billion after series E funding

ICO - ICOBox

The blockchain analytics and intelligence firm, Chainalysis, has raised $100 million (£72m) after its fifth round of funding, bringing its total valuation to $4.2 billion (£3.6bn).

Funding was led by investment management company Coatue, with further funds being provided by Benchmark, Accel, Addition, Dragoneer, Sequoia Heritage and SVB Capital.

This latest round of funding follows on from a successful series D round back in March 2021 in which Chainalysis raised $100m...

6 July 2021 | Big Data

Blockchain in healthcare: The applications which are potentially ‘transformational’

Feature From South Korea to the US, governments this year have been trying to develop blockchain-based technologies to track citizens’ vaccination status whilst maintaining a respect for individual privacy. Aside from the controversies of this topic, the situation has thrust blockchain’s potential in the healthcare industry into the limelight moreso than ever before, at a time when the industry faces an increasing number of challenges.

With developed countries spending an...

7 May 2021 | Applications

MorganFranklin announces partnership with blockchain cybersecurity firm 1Kosmos

Global financial advisory firm MorganFranklin is looking to expand its cybersecurity services through an alliance with 1Kosmos a provider of security technology which leverages blockchain and biometrics authentication.

1Kosmos’ BlockID platform provides digital identity proofing with advanced biometrics and passwordless authentication through a secured private blockchain. The authentication process involves a liveness test and the use of verifiable credentials in digital format....

8 April 2021 | Applications

William Lovell, Bank of England: Why blockchain is maturing – but healthy scepticism remains

As blockchain technologies and the thinking around them have matured, the role of each of its stakeholders tends to mature with it. For the central bank, the inherent understanding of risk with blockchain has always been there. But this does not mean innovation and progress cannot march forwards.

William Lovell is head of future technology at the Bank of England. Naturally, this remit means blockchain is not the only game in town, but its intrinsic link to finance makes it a...

1 April 2021 | Banking