History is taking a new course in the way government holds it’s accountability to it’s citizens. The government have now adopted a technological approach towards being transparent to it’s citizens.
For years now, citizens have had to ask questions about how the government operated. They doubted if they were ever heard or adhered to. They wondered what happened to their votes and their taxes. They wondered how the plans the government had promised to fulfil were going to happen. But today, that has changed.
The technology responsible for this transformative change is called Blockchain. Now, I’ll break it down for you. 
Blockchain is a shared record of past transactions in a distributed network, typically used for cryptocurrency. It cannot be tampered with but can be accessed. It keeps record up to date of every activity.
It is responsible for the ability to check the governments activity through a set of mathematical codes that compiles all these information together. If any information uploaded is different from another, it easily detects it.
It creates a provable truth. One you can’t get from government officials, especially not accurately.
Estonia, a small country on the Baltic Sea, which has a very small population is behind this big technology that has revolved over time. Because of this, the country is rated as one of the most high end digitally operated countries.
But how did they come about this revolution? Necessity. Their need for a new, different and fair government after many pitfalls, pushed them to come about the blockchain invention. And till date, this system have helped their system, upgraded their country and elevated its citizens.
All their operations are now uploaded to the blockchain server. Doctor reports, tax reports, payment records, and so many important information are kept secured. Not only are these information kept secured, they can also access it and know who had accessed it as well.
For instance, if you’re admitted into a hospital far from home, your medical records can still be accessed. Allergies, past illnesses, diagnoses, family medical history and so many health related records.
Not only is Estonia leveraging on this technology, other countries are building there systems as well. United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United States of America, Singapore, Salvador, Germany, China and many others are part of the blockchain movement. They are implementing it in business, government, education, health and social life.
With blockchain, countries that are struggling with corruption can now feel secured. No more fears of their information not being safe or being altercated. No more fears of unsure decision-making processes. No more fears of unreliable traces of money transactions.
Asides from government accountability to it’s citizens, blockchain helps in the land property system. It helps to record land ownerships and disputes are easily resolved as blockchain keeps track and record of dates and time of purchase and sale. Claims from history can be verified or disproven. Forged or fake documents are easily discovered. The economic impact of this clarity cannot be overstated, as secure property rights are fundamental to economic development.
Blockchain voting applications can sometimes be exciting and can also controversial. Democracy is founded on free and fair elections, but election systems face repeated questions about security, fairness and accuracy globally. Blockchain makes voting systems completely transparent and safe. Legitimate votes are verified as without having to reveal the voter or who they voted for. The results of the election could be audited by anyone but tampered with by no one. Citizens have access to check if their own votes were counted correctly without incriminating the ballot box in secret.
Though, with all these benefits gained from blockchain, it still has its own downsides. One of this challenges is that the blockchain system could shut down any moment and decrypted and once this happens, all documentations and records will be lost. And even if it can be recovered, it’ll be hard to get it back, except for professional intervention.
Another challenge is the issue of hackers. Not all blockchains are well safeguarded and as technology continues to spread out, people dig deeper into its use and maneuver their way into it. Some people learn tech in order to use it for selfish reasons. These among many others are challenges that comes with using blockchain.
But despite all of these, manufacturers and tech companies are working hard on fixing the system and keeping it more secured. And it is no doubt that blockchain has changed and transformed our lives for the better.