White Falcon Publishing Introduces Blockchain Timestamping for Books
White Falcon Publishing has launched a blockchain certification and timestamping service for books. With this service, authors and publishers will be able to certify and timestamp their books on public blockchain networks such as Ethereum or EOS.
What is a Blockchain?
A blockchain, in simple terms, is a distributed database or a global ledger that maintains an immutable record of all transactions on a blockchain network. Blockchain is a distributed data structure comprising a chain of blocks. The transactions are timestamped and bundled into blocks where each block is identified by its cryptographic hash. The blocks form a linear sequence where each block references the hash of the previous block, forming a chain of blocks called the Blockchain. Each block maintains records of all the transactions on the network received since the creation of its previous block. A blockchain network is a truly peer-to-peer network and it does not require a trusted central authority or intermediaries to authenticate or to settle the transactions.
What is Blockchain Timestamping?
Blockchain Timestamping is a well known use case for blockchain that involves creating an immutable, publicly verifiable and timestamped record for a document on a public blockchain which can be used to prove that the document existed at that particular point of time. You can imagine blockchain timestamping like a digital notary service, however, unlike a traditional notary service you don't need a trusted third party. Blockchain has the ability to establish trust in a peer-to-peer network through a distributed consensus mechanism rather than relying on a powerful central authority. With blockchain timestamping you can prove the ownership and existence of the document, without exposing its actual contents. Blockchain Timestamping is done by generating a unique fingerprint or signature (cryptographic hash) for a document. The fingerprint is then stored on a public blockchain along with a timestamp. As long as you retain the original document, you will always be able generate the fingerprint to prove that it existed when you timestamped it. The cryptographic hash depends on the contents of the document and any change made in the document will result in a different hash.
How will White Falcon Publishing use Blockchain Timestamping?
White Falcon Publishing will create certified and timestamped records of all the books they publish, and record them within a certification smart contract deployed on the Ethereum blockchain, as a permanent proof of existence. Each book published by White Falcon Publishing will have a unique QR code on the cover which will point to a web page where anyone can verify the book’s certification record. The certification record can be used for digital attribution, proof of existence, prior knowledge, integrity and authenticity. The certification and timestamping process is fully decentralized, as is the blockchain itself. Therefore no trusted third party or centralized authority is required for the user to prove the certification of the document in the future. Authors will be able to prove the certification and timestamping of their books by referring to the book’s fingerprint (cryptographic hash) on a certification smart contract deployed the publicly available Ethereum blockchain.
Example of Certifying a Book on Blockchain
Book cover with a unique certification QR code
Unique certification QR code
Screenshot of web page where certification records can be verfied
Transaction to certify the book on Ethereum blockchain network