In this post, I will debunk blockchain myths in business.
How often do you hear the term “blockchain” used in regular conversation? And how much would you say you know about how this technology works?
Most people today will at least be aware of blockchain as the fundamental technology underlying bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies. It’s certainly true that in the years since its inception, blockchain technology has allowed these digital assets to evolve by leaps and bounds.
Crypto transactions today utilize faster processes, require fewer transaction fees, and boast tighter security than ever thanks in large part to developments in blockchain tech. The high-performing privacy coin Monero (XMR), for example, allows a user with access to a Monero wallet to send and receive the currency completely anonymously.
In recent years, however, blockchain has even begun to make waves in a multitude of sectors beyond crypto, such as the healthcare, travel, transport, and shipping industries. Blockchain enthusiasts are confident that the technology has the potential to revolutionize almost every major industry existing today.
But as with any emerging technology, a good few myths and misconceptions have cropped up over the years around blockchain and its use. Read on for an in-depth exploration of the most common blockchain myths, debunked.
Most Common Blockchain Myths
1. Blockchain Is Simply Another Term for Bitcoin
In essence, a blockchain is a digital ledger or database of transactions that is distributed and stored across a decentralized network of computers.
The individual computers on this network are typically referred to as nodes. Transactions encoded onto the blockchain are duplicated across all the nodes in the network, which then confirm their validity by executing a series of mathematical puzzles.
Validated transactions are grouped into encrypted units of data known as “blocks.” Every node on the network has its own copy of the blockchain ledger and adds new transactions to this copy in real time.
Bitcoin, meanwhile, is the oldest and most prominent cryptocurrency available today. One of the appeals of Bitcoin, and of cryptocurrencies in general, is that it is decentralized and therefore not controlled by entities like banks or governments.
This means that it can be exchanged directly between buyers and sellers without the need for middlemen, as Bitcoin transaction information is recorded on a public blockchain.
Blockchain is frequently identified with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, but the two are not one and the same. This misconception has come about in part because Bitcoin’s launch in 2009 marked the first real-world application of blockchain technology.
And though Bitcoin developer Satoshi Nakamoto is often cited as the inventor of blockchain because of this, the foundational idea for the technology was actually first conceptualized by researchers Stuart Haber and W. Scott Stornetta in 1991.
2. Data on a Blockchain Is Confidential
Because blockchain is commonly touted as a revolutionary technology in the area of cybersecurity, many people tend to assume that data on a blockchain is fully confidential. This is not strictly the case, as the confidentiality of transactions on a blockchain depends on whether the blockchain in question is private or public.
Public or permissionless blockchain networks are free for anyone to join, and anyone who has access to the network may view its transaction history and even become a node. However, transaction records on a blockchain ledger don’t contain the transaction details themselves.
Instead, transactions are identified with unique public keys that the blockchain generates each time a new transaction is added to the ledger. Hence, transactions on public blockchains do enjoy a measure of anonymity by default.
Private or permissioned blockchains are usually operated by particular entities such as banks or corporations. Users need to be authorized before they can access the network, view its information, and add data to the blockchain ledger. It’s thus possible to restrict people’s access to permissioned blockchains and keep the information contained in them private.
3. Blockchain Is Fraud-Proof
The distributed nature of blockchain networks makes it famously difficult for cybercriminals to steal or falsify transaction records. This is because once a transaction is recorded on a blockchain, it’s immediately duplicated across every single node in the network.
Cybercriminals attempting to tamper with the data on a blockchain would thus have to rapidly access and modify all the network’s nodes. Needless to say, this is extremely difficult to do without attracting attention.
While blockchain technology is highly secure, however, it’s important to remember that the technology is only as trustworthy as the people who operate it. It can’t prevent the people who use it from doing so illicitly, such as when the users who contribute or verify blockchain transactions record fraudulent data for their own ends.
Thus, advocates for blockchain also counsel that the technology is implemented alongside educational measures and policies geared toward discouraging dishonesty and disinformation.
Now, let’s move to another entry on our list of the blockchain myths.
4. Blockchain Has No Applications Outside Finance
While cryptocurrency is currently the best-known application of blockchain technology, experts frequently attest to its usefulness outside the financial sector.
In this increasingly data-driven world, many believe that blockchain’s ability to create, record, and disseminate sensitive information securely could be game-changing for all manner of industries.
Blockchain has the potential to improve and accelerate business procedures of all kinds, with prominent use cases including online voting, shipping and supply chain operations, loyalty programs, and many more.
A Final Word On Blockchain Myths
Though blockchain’s rise to prominence is an undoubtedly exciting development for those interested in the technology, it’s more important than ever to be discerning when reading up on or talking about it.
It’s especially important for businesses looking to leverage blockchain solutions to have a clear idea of what the technology is and how it can be used, as believing myths or misconceptions could have costly consequences.
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