Underscoring archival authenticity with blockchain technology: creating an archival blockchain

What is it about?

To deal with the threats that new technologies pose to the longevity of our digital heritage, archives must be far more willing to experiment with new technologies. The ARCHANGEL project is exploring the possibilities offered by distributed ledger technology (DLT, commonly known as blockchain) and how it could address the challenges around trust, integrity and authenticity that preserving born-digital material introduces. The National Archives, UK, the Open Data Institute and the University of Surrey has built a prototype and along with a number of national archives (Australia, Estonia, Norway and the USA) have successfully tested an archival blockchain.

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Why is it important?

Digital presents many challenges to traditional archival practice. In the area of preservation, the approach of ensuring the original paper record remains virtually untouched while in the archive’s custody almost guarantees its loss in the case of digital. Without refreshing the storage media, checking and rechecking for change at byte level and creating copies in different formats, there is a real risk that our digital heritage will be lost. Moreover, while trust in archival institutions remains high, the ease with which digital files can be altered means that archives cannot rely solely on their reputation to guarantee the authenticity of the records in their custody. Blockchain could offer a way of guaranteeing that authenticity in a technological way.

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