| | MAY - 2019ENTERPRISE SECURITY8s blockchain technology matures, it is important for companies and individuals to move beyond the hype. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), charged with facilitating an average of more than $3 trillion in legitimate trade every year while enforcing U.S. trade laws, has taken great interest in looking at the possibilities of blockchain and continues to explore the technology with its trade partners. Blockchain technology shows increasing potential to improve processes for both sides by reducing redundancy, making processes more efficient, and providing a complete view of a product's lifecycle. It wouldn't be surprising to see blockchain eventually emerge as a backbone integrator that ties data with smart devices, shipment transit points, Artificial Intelligence, and other great technologies still being developed. With this potential in mind, CBP is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate to help explore and mature blockchain implementation for use cases that are relevant both to government and the private sector. Given all of these prospective benefits, it is most important that both the business and technology sides of the house understand the potential value of blockchain and its unique function in order to fully unlock the beast, so to speak.CBP completed its first-ever test in September 2018 along with several trade partners to understand how blockchain works and its usefulness in the trade lane. Our test of the North American/Central American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA/CAFTA) went exceedingly well. We were able to prove that multiple blockchain programs could integrate and we were able to deliver a seamless system that allowed for coordinating data both on chain and off chain. CBP and DHS built a system using Digital Bazaar's Veres Delta, a software that is able to translate between entities and software regardless of the blockchain software used. The software platform enabled the government to exchange information between several different blockchain systems seamlessly. The specifications championed by DHS S&T, and now CBP, focus on Decentralized Identifiers, Verifiable Credentials, and Decentralized Key Management System. ABy Vincent Annunziato, Director, Business Transformation and Innovation Division Trade Transformation Office of TradeCustoms and Border ProtectionBlockchain ­ A U.S. Customs and Border Protection PerspectiveVincent AnnunziatoIn My Opinion
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