This week Google made known about two separate Blockchain projects it is working on: a “tamper-proof” auditing system and a cloud operations platform.
According to a patent originally filed in September 2017, plans are underway to create a so-called “tamper-evident” ledger on the basis of Blockchain.
At the same time, Google’s Alphabet Inc. conglomerate is looking to utilize the technology to create a transparent audit review platform, Bloomberg reported March 21 citing anonymous sources at the company.
Google made the headlines in cryptocurrency this month after its decision to ban all related advertisements from Google Adwords, a move which follows Facebook in January and could see Twitter follow suit by the start of April.
Because cryptocurrencies are very often an inherent part of Blockchain platforms, Google’s new ad policy would also presumably restrict the latter from publishing content on AdWords. The ethical implications of effectively banning Blockchain projects from its advertising service and at the same time working on two such platforms of its own have not yet been commented on by the company.
Enthusiasm around Blockchain nonetheless appears relentless, with Alphabet Inc. also intending to release a white label of the platform for other businesses, according to Bloomberg.
“Like many new technologies, we have individuals in various teams exploring potential uses of blockchain but it’s way too early for us to speculate about any possible uses or plans,” a spokesman told the publication speaking in more general terms.
The US patent meanwhile details plans of a more technical nature, revolving around information integrity tracking via use of two independent blockchains.
The patent’s abstract begins:
“A method of performing tamper-evident logging may include identifying an existing block in a target blockchain, where the existing block is associated with a first signature, and identifying a block of a second blockchain, where the block that is identified is associated with a second signature. The second blockchain is not a part of the target blockchain.”
No timeframe is so far available regarding a possible rollout of either product.