blockchain

A blockchain records all actions in a database by grouping them into “blocks,” each one secured, unable to be altered, and timestamped. Each block is linked to the previous block in chronological order and contains all its data, forming a “chain.” Once the newest block is completed, it joins the blockchain. A blockchain is not stationed on one master computer, but instead distributed over numerous computers, thus creating a permanent, shared registry that’s very hard to tamper with.

Blockchains were an innovation created for the encrypted digital currency Bitcoin, and record all Bitcoin transactions from the beginning until today in a blockchain. The designer of the first blockchain database was Satoshi Nakamoto, a pseudonym for the unknown creator of Bitcoin. Back in Nakamoto’s original 2008 paper detailing his creation, he does use the terms “block” and “chain,” but never paired together. He soon combined the terms to form the term “block chain” as a name for his technology.

By 2015, the one-word compound blockchain emerged in mainstream media publications such as Fortune, Forbes, and the Huffington Post as the technology gained greater familiarity, interest, and use.

In recent years, blockchain technology has expanded far beyond Bitcoin. In 2016, the country of Sweden decided to trial a new land registry system using blockchain technology to replace its old paper system. Some experts think the secure and transparent nature of blockchains, which maintain a record visible to all users, including one’s fully public ones, has the potential to transform processes ranging from stock trading and contracts to voting and digital identity management.