Developers contributing to the Github of Baseline Protocol, an open-source blockchain project launched by Microsoft, EY, and ConsenSys, recently offered suggestions for a Baseline Protocol-based COVID-19 contact tracing system.

The projection aims to address security flaws noted in the proposals for a contact tracing system made past Google and Apple to-engagement, including record-falsification and data centralization.

Cointelegraph spoke to John Wolpert, ConsenSys group executive and self-described "seeker of awesomeness," to observe out more about the projection.

Baseline Protocol developers propose contact tracing arrangement

Wolpert states that Baseline Protocol's piece of work toward a blockchain-based contact tracing arrangement "emerged when a passionate community member in Bharat contacted us about his thoughts for using the baseline approach on the topic of epidemiology."

"Shortly thereafter, the news about contact tracing came out, and folks in the know most the work showed united states of america the pattern existence considered. It fabricated sense, but it was credible how we could increment compliance in societies that resist command and control by using the baseline protocol to eliminate the need to aggregate the data."

John states that from what has been revealed about Apple tree and Google'due south proposed trace monitoring system to-date, "problems regarding list insertion, non-repudiation and record-falsification" may be things "to watch for."

Notwithstanding, Wolpert clarifies that "one could only say that these are actually problems by seeing the actual tech."

Public skepticism surrounds Google/Apple's proposal system

Wolpert emphasizes skepticism from the public regarding the purported anonymity of the contact tracing arrangement proposed past Google and Apple, stating:

"Folks are savvy enough (or paranoid enough) to exist skeptical about the 'anonymity' achieved simply past having IDs that don't include their [personally identifying data]. Give me a bunch of data clusters from people uploading their anonymized encounter-list, and some fourth dimension with a good AI team, and we'll find all sorts of 'interesting' things most people."

On Github, Wolpert proposes a system where "Bluetooth cardinal and other attributes [are] traded via Bluetooth with devices nearby, just and so baselined so that we have proof that all parties indeed confirmed they were near each," — eliminating repudiation risk.

To ensure users' privacy, the hash of participants who test positive for COVID-xix will be changed to 'infectious' and dead-dropped onto the Baseline Protocol mainnet. Anyone who is associated with that person's hash volition be 'listening' for the hash to appear on the Mainnet — automatically triggering exposure alerts that are sent to all individuals who came in contact with the infected person.

One-click CDC reporting

The arrangement would as well provide a one-click button to report the contact to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and could be used to verify test results.

"Doing all this without aggregating everyone'southward information would be a leap forward," Wolpert stated, adding: "From my perspective, it would certainly make this seemingly inevitable 'new normal' less creepy."