It was Adam Draper who once said, “I think that governments are going to get disrupted by the blockchain. I think in the same way the internet forced everyone to evolve, the Blockchain is going to change the game again.” I tell you what—is has already begun.

Tech giants like IBM and in addition to government entities have been experimenting on the use case of the Distributed Ledger Technology. Recently, the US custom and Border Protection (CBP) announced its plan to explore the technological breakthrough, Distributed Ledger Technology, before the year runs out. Use of the technology will be used for a shipment tracking system, according to tech news and media agency GNS on a report from August 2018.

The US CBP is the biggest government law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. A public statement submitted by the agency indicated that it has completed its latest testing of blockchain for supply chain management. 

“We have just completed our testing last week on the blockchain solution for NAFTA and CAFTA verification,” Catano said.

CBP is, at present, assessing its proposed utilization of blockchain innovation. A statement by Celeste Catano, the global product manager at Blujay solution, (a software company working with the agency), he also pointed toward that direction when he said; they look forward to having a recommendation before December.

The reported testing will comprise of two separate frameworks: CBP’s legacy application and a blockchain-powered platform developed by the agency’s parent body – as well as the control border control organization – the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

North America Free Trade (NAFTA) and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) have been the traditional ways of tracking shipment around the world. However, CBP is on the verge of changing this with the adoption of a blockchain. CBP is working on “Live fire tests” – which is a push to dispense paperwork in confirming North America Free Trade (NAFTA) and Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) certificate. This is to streamline the method for clients. Blockchain can also decrease the time spent on paperwork, so those importing will be aware of the procedures in a split second.

Vincent Annunziato, the director of Transformation & Innovation at CBP, made some clarification during the October meeting that the agency is at present in the “proof of concept” stage. Annunziato continued, “we’ve produced a hybrid system that allows for the public sharing of data and also maintains the security of that data. It’s particularly important for keeping trade secrets, and that’s what this architecture is designed to do.” Annunziato continued, “Ensuring data security is of utmost importance.” He made further remarks which concluded that various platforms are not compatible enough. 

He also made it clear that the agency will only invest heavily if they find out that the concept is compatible. “If we find something that doesn’t work, we don’t invest anymore. If we find something that does work, then we move forward with confidence. This is new ground for us, so it’s exciting.”