DHS Official Tells Congress Blockchain Uses Are 'Almost Limitless'

Maughan's remarks came during a wider discussion on the application of blockchain to supply chains, joining a panel of witnesses that included Maersk head of global trade digitization Michael White, UPS vice president of global customs brokerage staff Chris Rubio and Nuby Law IPR counsel Robert Chiaviello.

Announced last week, the "Leveraging Blockchain Technology to Improve Supply Chain Management and Combat Counterfeit Goods" hearing is the second such event hosted by the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's Oversight and Research and Technology subcommittees this year.

As articulated by Maughn, such discussions can have a significant impact on the work being done by U.S. agencies on the blockchain front.

According to Maughn, the Science and Technology Directorate "Must aggressively work with its research, development, test and evaluation partners throughout government and industry so Homeland Security applications of blockchain and distributed ledger technology are effective and trusted."

"I think the applications are almost limitless and it's up to the departments or agencies as to how to address that," he told the subcommittees, later noting that not every potential use case requires a blockchain.

White, appearing on behalf of shipping giant Maersk, framed the firm's move toward applications of blockchain as a way to break up the iceberg-like state of shipping today.

UPS's Rubio expanded on this concept, noting that "By having the ability to track any product from the beginning of its journey through the supply chain, blockchain may provide a solution to unknown or unverified product origins."

When asked how exactly blockchain can help the shipping industry, White remarked that "Blockchain is especially suitable for that because you can enable the parties which have a right to see and have access to information and see that information has not been tampered with or modified in any way, shape or form."

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