Hello,

I have been researching about blockchains and stuff and it all seems like a big scam. It’s not sustainable and can be replaced by a simple database.

is there any legitimate use cases of blockchains or it is all just a big scam?

  • Otter@lemmy.caEnglish
    20·
    1 day ago

    https://xkcd.com/2030/

    I appreciate that when you find a relevant xkcd, the explainxkcd page also has relevant information to the discussion:

    https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2030%3A_Voting_Software

    When the reporter follows the interview up with a mention of blockchain technology, Megan and Cueball reflexively tell the reporter to avoid any voting system using the technology at all costs. Blockchain is a relatively new technology that is intended to solve some computer security issues by making it difficult to doctor old data. However, in the process of solving the old computer security issues, it has introduced new computer security issues that have not yet been ironed out; for instance, it doesn’t solve input fraud issues, only data-doctoring fraud, so if a program caused the voting machine to record a vote for candidate B whenever a vote for candidate A was cast (such a program could be uploaded to the voting machines through USB, or through the internet which the voting machine must be connected to for blockchain), blockchain would not prevent it. Blockchain has also had a large number of high-profile scams, thefts, and implementations with critical security holes. Thus, Megan and Cueball may not trust this blockchain solution because of this history.

    Blockchain is really great at preventing post-facto data changes. With blockchain you can somewhat guarantee that no one comes in after the election and changes the votes on the machines. (Unless they’re handling the blockchain in a stupid fashion, for example without the distribution.) But you cannot prevent tampering with the machines themselves, such as making them record votes that didn’t happen, or tampering the data before it’s written to the blockchain.

    Also, the security issues that Blockchain solves could also be solved via write-once memory, which would be more secure and more difficult to doctor.

    Most computer security specialists are more worried about programs that randomly and/or deliberately misreport a vote, than people changing the votes after they’re already recorded, so blockchain would solve an issue that most computer security specialists are less worried about, while causing new issues (the perpetual internet connection among them).

    • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
      71·
      1 day ago

      Whereas voting with a piece of paper can be tracked and validated by a severely myopic 6 year old. And you can recount it. You can’t “recount” a blockchain if that’s your only source.

      And if you do both, then why bother with the blockhain?

      • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        22·
        19 hours ago

        You can’t “recount” a blockchain if that’s your only source.

        What are you trying to say here?

        If each vote is a block in the chain them it is definitely recountable.

        If I get a reciept of my vote’s hash in the chain, I can confirm it’s being included.

        The real issue with using a blockchain is it would anonymize the process.

        • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
          6·
          19 hours ago

          If each vote is a block in the chain them it is definitely recountable.

          That’s not what it means. With this system, you can’t independently verify what happened. You can only also look at the blockchain and see that some hash has registered some vote.

          But you don’t know if that is actually true. You can’t see if pushing the red button makes the red vote come out. You can manually count if you want, but the original billet doesn’t exist, only a processed form of it on the blockchain.

          If I get a reciept of my vote’s hash in the chain, I can confirm it’s being included.

          Only THAT it’s included. Otherwise you have something linking you to your vote, which is bad