Chan Cheng District, within Foshan City in Canton province in Southern China has begun testing blockchain to streamline government services for its one million residents.
The platform, announced on June 23, is called Intelligent Multifunctional Identity (IMI) and allows local users to avoid repeatedly filling out information for different public services, providing a more simple and secured process.
Since 2014, the district government has operated a central hub within the city that serves as a physical portal for residents who need tax, pension, healthcare or utility services, among others. However, this process still requires repetitive form filling and processing.
Citizens who register and become verified by the IMI platform will have the control of their personal information and can grant access to a government service they need. Using a private key pair, the system is also said to be able to verify users' identity automatically without requiring them to be physically present.
If the Chinese government as a whole decides to adopt blockchain technology for use in these sectors, we could very well see widespread adoption on the horizon. The day that you can pay your rent in Bitcoin is coming, folks!
What do you think about a local Chinese government testing out blockchain-based services to streamline their resident's bill paying? Let us know below!
Source: https://cryptinex.com/showthread.php?tid=128&pid=472#pid472
I should note that I am the original author of this version of the story on Cryptinex, however mine is rendered from a CoinDesk article.