The National Archives has collaborated with the University of Surrey and the Open Data institute on the ARCHANGEL Project to research the potential of blockchain technology to underscore trust in digital records.
Presentation given at CILIP Blockchain Briefing 2020, 27 February 2020
9. Aim of the ARCHANGEL project
The ARCHANGEL project proposed using blockchain technology to verify the
integrity and provenance of digital records during the process of preserving the
records and when released.
The project used blockchain to record the checksums and other metadata from
records so that users could verify the integrity of records held:
• over lengthy periods of time,
• after periods of closure and
• throughout the curatorial processes
10. Key Properties of Blockchain
Distributed
Immutable
• Many participants involved in
each transaction
• Every participant has a copy
• Cannot edit the information
on the blockchain
20. What we learned
• IT department involvement – governance and policies in place
• Technical know-how and support for set-up
• Guidance on technology, terminology, set-up requirements and using the tool
• Practical value from being part of workflow
• People need to understand the technology to trust it