Blockchain to Fight Corruption in Southeast Asia

What if you could wave your phone over a piece of fish at a store and immediately see a record of its path through the supply chain?

如果你在商店里把手机在一块鱼肉上面晃一下，就能立即看到它在供应链上的路径记录，结果会如何呢？

This may soon be possible. Current experiments are testing technology that can show how the fish was caught, when it was shipped and how it was processed at a factory.

这可能很快就会实现。目前有些试验正在测试可以显示鱼是如何捕获、何时运输以及在工厂如何加工的技术。

This technology, called Blockchain, is being tested for its potential to bring light to secretive industries in Southeast Asia.

这种被称之为区块链的技术正在测试它为东南亚隐秘行业带来光明的潜力。

Same technology, new uses

老技术，新用途

Blockchain was first developed to confirm dealings in bitcoin, a digital money. In that case, the technology creates a public financial record.

区块链最早被开发用于确认比特币交易。在该案例中，这种技术会创建一条公共财物记录。

In Southeast Asia important records, including those of identity information and property ownership, are often not carefully kept.

在东南亚，包括身份信息和财产所有权在内的重要信息经常没有得到妥善记录。

Erin Murphy is the founder 1 and leader of Inle Advisory 2 Group, a business advisory company working in Myanmar and other countries with developing markets. She said Blockchain technology helps make business operations in such countries safer and easier.

艾琳·墨菲（Erin Murphy）是茵莱顾问集团的创始人和领导者，这是一家在缅甸和其它发展中国家运营的商业顾问公司。她说，区块链技术有助于使这些国家的商业运作更加安全和方便。

"Ideally, we would want to see adoption 3 of Blockchain at an official level all across the region. But perhaps not surprisingly, the governments that are leading Blockchain adoption are those that are already low-corruption," she told VOA.

她对美国之音表示：“理想情况下，我们希望这个区域在官方层面采用区块链技术。但是也许不足为奇的是，在采用区块链方面处于领先的是那些低腐败的政府。”

In some countries like Singapore, Murphy said Blockchain is being used to improve customer service processes. However in other countries, like the Philippines, Blockchain helps citizens safely send money home from foreign countries.

墨菲表示，在新加坡等国家，区块链开始被用于改善客户服务流程。然而在菲律宾等国家，区块链帮助公民安全地把钱从国外寄回国。

Murphy said the technology will help development, lower poverty, and increase foreign investment.

墨菲表示，这种技术有助于发展、减少贫困以及增加外国投资。

Observing the flow

观察流向

Right now, there are many programs in Southeast Asia experimenting with Blockchain technology.

目前东南亚有很多试验区块链技术导弹项目。

In June, the United Nations presented a Blockchain-based system built in partnership 5 with the technology company Microsoft and professional services company Accenture. The system gives stateless refugees a permanent identity record based on biometric data.

今年6月，联合国与科技公司微软以及专业服务公司埃森哲合作，推出了一种基于区块链的系统。该系统根据生物特征数据为无国籍难民提供永久身份记录。

The technology is also being explored in connection with efforts to improve voting system security.

这种技术还被用于提高投票系统安全性相关措施的探索。

A Blockchain based app developed to observe the supply chain of fish from Indonesia is now being used with other industries, including clothing.

一种基于区块链开发出来用于监视印尼鱼类供应链的应用程序目前被用于包括服装在内的其它行业。

Results from a pilot project can be found on the internet. Viewers can observe the movement of a piece of clothing from an alpaca farm in Dulverton, Britain, through every step of production to its final stop at a shop in London.

互联网上也可以找到一个试点项目的结果。观察者可以监视来自英国达尔弗顿一家羊驼农场的一块布的流动，从它的每一步生产到它的最后一站，也就是伦敦市一家商店。

Alisa DiCaprio is the head of research at R3, a banking 6 software company that uses technology similar to Blockchain. She said getting the technology and being able to use it are separate issues.

艾莉莎·迪卡普里奥（Alisa DiCaprio）是R3的研究负责人，这是一家采用类似区块链技术的银行软件公司。她说，获得这种技术和能够利用它是两个不同的问题。

Most countries have engineers who can rightly code the technology, she said. However, they do not always understand how to make it work for businesses and industries.

她说，大多数国家的工程师都能正确编码这种技术。然而，他们并非总是懂得如何让它应用于各个企业和行业。

DiCaprio predicts it will take about five years before we actually see Blockchain used widely. She said she believes the most important effects of the technology will be seen on a macro-economic level.

迪卡普里奥预测大约需要5年时间我们才能看到区块链的广泛应用。她说，她相信这种技术最重要的影响将在宏观经济层面上被看到。

Division in the community

社区分歧

However, the Blockchain community is divided on how the technology should be used.

然而，区块链社区对应该如何利用这种技术存在分歧。

Some see Blockchain as a tool that can interfere 7 with a global financial system they believe is corrupt 4.

有些人将区块链视为可以影响全球金融体系的工具，他们认为全球金融体系是腐败的。

"There is a serious opportunity for us here to remove money out of government," said a Southeast Asia based bitcoin trader.

南亚一位比特币交易商表示：“我们这里会有很大机会把钱从政府转走。”

He said billions of people who are unable to use an official banking system will be able to move money with just a phone.

他说，数十亿无法使用官方银行体系的人们将能够仅仅使用一部手机就把钱转走。

Another group wants to see Blockchain technology used by states, such as Canada, Singapore, China and Germany. All of these countries are exploring or experimenting with digital money using Blockchain.

另一家组织希望看到加拿大、新加坡、中国和德国等国家采用区块链技术。这些国家都在探索或试验采用区块链技术的数字货币。

Michael Hsieh is with the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. He suggested that Blockchain creates a threat for governments only if they ignore the technology. Countries that use it to establish safe and honest systems for money exchange will appeal to business and investment interests, he said.

麦克谢就职于斯坦福大学国际安全与合作中心。他提出，区块链只有在政府忽视这种技术的情况下才会对政府造成威胁。他说，利用这种技术建立安全诚信货币兑换系统的国家将会吸引企业和投资兴趣。

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

code - v. to change information into a set of letters, numbers, or symbols that can be read by a computer?.

customer - n. someone who buys goods or services from a business?.

potential - n. a chance or possibility that something will happen or exist in the future.

biometric data - n. computer information including samples, models, fingerprints 8, similarity scores and all verification of a person excluding the individual's name and demographics.?

macro - adj. large

supply chain - n. the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity.?

transaction - n. an occurrence in which goods, services, or money are passed from one person, account, etc., to another?.