It’s been revealed a US county has used the Ethereum blockchain to send almost 1000 digital marriage certificates to newlywed couples.

In April last year, the Washoe County in Northern Nevada announced it was partnering with blockchain startup, Titan Seal, to offer digital marriage certificates.

Since then, around 950 digital certificates have been secured using the Ethereum blockchain, according to a report by the Reno Gazette Journal.

“April 10th was the first time a person got (a digital marriage certificate from Washoe County)… The person had no idea that it was part of a pilot program,” Titan Seal Co-founder Phil Dhingra told the Reno Gazette Journal.

Utilising the Ethereum blockchain

Before Washoe County’s marriage certificates are emailed, Titan Seal generates a secure cryptographic hash representing the certificate on the Ethereum blockchain.

The hash is a unique number that can only be generated from a certified digital copy of the corresponding marriage certificate.

The Washoe County has reinforced its faith in the ledger, telling residents “it is very improbable that the Ethereum blockchain could ever be hacked”.

“There is no central authority or computer to compromise; instead there is a worldwide network of thousands of computers that work together to protect the authenticity of transactions on the network,” says the County on its website.

“This is one of the most secure methods of storing information that has ever been invented, and it has already spawned a renaissance in parts of the computer and financial industries.

“It is much more secure than our current method of paper certification (embossing, stamp, and signature), which is the gold standard of paper certification, but can still theoretically be forged.”

Australian state extending roll-out of blockchain driver licences

The New South Wales Government successfully used distributed ledger technology to deliver driver licences to 1400 residents in Dubbo, NSW, during a trial in 2018.

A second trial is currently underway in Sydney’s eastern beaches region and a state wide roll-out via an ‘opt-in’ system is expected later this year.

The digital driver licences being trialed in NSW are backed by Secure Logic’s TrustGrid ledger.

“The era of standing in line to file government paperwork is coming to an end, as is our reliance on physical identification cards to establish your identity or proof of age with law enforcement or at licensed venues,” said Secure Logic’s CEO Santosh Devaraj.

Micky first reported on the NSW digital driver licence trial in September, 2018. Click here to read the article.