Hah, I just thought of a legit use for OMG BLOCKCHAIN.
I've idly wanted some sort of public timestamp assertion server for a while. Like https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3161 ... except I'd rather not rely on a trusted third party that might decide to just shut down at some point.
Piggy-backing on a Bitcoin-like blockchain (even Bitcoin itself) seems like a good solution.
I know Bitcoin transactions can carry comments, need to read up on whether they are covered by the transaction/block signature.
... the use-case I currently have for this, is of course, accounting.
I'd like to make assertions about the source documents in my home-grown accounting system, that prove they haven't been fiddled with after they were saved to disk.
If I get something like the Bitcoin blockchain to do that for me, I'll arguably have stronger integrity on my home-grown bookkeeping than many medium-sized businesses with professional accounting software.
That seems like a really neat property.
This idea of mine is so original it already has a Wikipedia page! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusted_timestamping
... but no mention of any Blockchain-based implementations.
Oh shit, another side-project! Maybe if I hide it won't find me.
@HerraBRE Just put the hashes on your personal Wikipedia page or in a Github gist? They'll timestamp them for you in the history. Perhaps the Icelandic or Italian tax authorities will accept that you don't have power of either of those.
@edavies That works. I just like the elegance of a solution that doesn't rely on an authority.
I mean, I could also just tweet the hashes. Or toot them.
But the Blockchain does really provide stronger assurances here, and it is a public, available service I can use. I can even take my pick, BTC, BCH, LTC, ZEC... they can all do this.
For example, although I may not be granted access to edit the history in some of those cases... I can delete the accounts and make the evidence disappear.
@HerraBRE Yes, I was being a bit tongue in cheek. Still, I'd bet on Wikipedia over Bitcoin for longevity.
But it could work. Have done it before (2011) for an internet 'bet'. Can't remember the details now, to be honest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:EdDavies
