Asia Blockchain Review recently caught up with Rohan Hall, Founder of Vottun, and we discussed the new solution that his company is working on in terms of helping to reopen sporting venues across the US amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the third and final part of our interview series.

The recent Californian bill that authorizes the use of blockchain-based technology to provide verifiable credentials for medical test results is a big step in the right direction for the ecosystem as a whole. Explain to us how this impacts the initiative that Vottun is undertaking.

The Department of Homeland Security in collaboration with different entities have been working on a solution for Identity and credentialing for the last few years.  The identity piece of this is called Self Sovereign Identity.  The credential part of it is called Verifiable Credentials.  Generically this is called Decentralized Identifiers (DID).

The standards group that invented things like the internet, browsers, and various other internet technology is called the W3C or The World Wide Web Consortium.  The W3C creates technology standards for the internet. Vottun has implemented the W3C standard released in November 2019, for Identity and credentialing now referred to as the W3C Verifiable Credentials standards.

The purpose is to allow individuals to control their own identity and data.  A credential is a college degree, a drivers license, a passport, your credit card, money or anything that you keep in your wallet or purse. The combination of these digital credentials and digital assets will be kept in your mobile phone in a digital wallet that allows you to interact in a variety of ways.

Vottun was the first technology to use this W3C standard to create covid-19 credentials. The adoption of this standard by the State of California is significant because it signals that California, the state that leads technology innovation, has decided that this is the standard to use for their Covid-19 solution.

It also indicates that other states will follow.  This will allow schools, sports, employers to expect a standards based solution following all compliance guidelines and laws as the technology they will use to get through this pandemic.  Vottun is currently working with various sports teams to bring this solution to the market.

Vottun verifiable credentials and self sovereign identity technology would be able to solve this problem by allowing individuals to control their data and monetize it. Vottun, based in California, is a leader in this area and is trailblazing with this and other initiatives.  We look forward to providing this solution to our clients and partners.

Finally, what’ next for the US with rising coronavirus rates, erratic leadership patterns from President Trump and a flagging economy? Where are things headed?

Unfortunately, all indications are that this will get pretty bad before we have a vaccine or a medical solution.  People are gathering without social distancing. Bars are full with no one wearing masks and no indication of anyone’s health status before they enter the environment.  I think it will get pretty bad and precautions will need to be taken to be safe.

This is when government authorities will need to step us to ensure that policies are made and followed to keep its citizens safe.  Until then, Vottun and other technology solutions will need to be used to help keep people safe.  Without this kind of technology and proper operating procedures it’s quite possible to imagine this virus getting more out of control.

Follow Asia Blockchain Review on:

• Telegram: https://t.me/asiablockchainreview
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/asiablockchainreview
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/abr_blockchain
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asia-blockchain-review/
• Website: https://www.asiablockchainreview.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMQ5CVu0c9-pMlwB8LUvkiA

About the author

Anil Prabha

Editor In Chief

Anil started his career in journalism all the way back in 2003. After traversing the sphere of editorial, corporate communications and advertising, he has now come full circle and is back in the world of journalism. He believes in the power of the written word, and its ability to enthrall, delight and inform the reader.