I don't understand the blockchain hype.
A startup has certified my artwork & placed their verification on the bitcoin blockchain.
Now art dealers & auctioneers can feel secure that I am the original artist.
One small problem… I am not Leonardo da Vinci!
verisart.com/works/23f2c64a
Conversation
Their solution is reasonably good at tracking the provenance of a sale. If I sign with my private key saying I've sold this certified artwork to your public key - that's pretty robust.
But, of course, there's no way to verify that I've actually given you the original artwork!
7
22
200
And, naturally, they're the only people who can offer this service. It isn't decentralised.
What happens when they go bust? When they certify a forged work of art? When their site is hacked and our keys are stolen?
Basically, why blockchain?
9
38
272
So we're in this ridiculous situation where an art certifier has permanently and irrevocably told the world that I painted the Mona Lisa.
(Spoiler alert: I didn't. I'm really Banksy.)
9
72
394
…and for those who like slightly more detail - here's my blog post about the daftness of trying to place anything related to identity or authenticity on the blockchain.
shkspr.mobi/blog/2018/06/h
10
140
270
But imagine if the art itself was digital. Only the person holding the token could display it. It itself would be the token. It couldn’t be copied. #digitalscarcity
2
trying to make something digital uncopyable is like trying to make water not wet.
1
1
16
Show replies
Look mate, if the blockchain says you’re Da Vinci then your Da Vinci and I’m going to need you to get down to the Louvre on Saturday between 10 and 2 to sign some prints.
5
21
307
busy that day, got to go to the Vatican & fix some mistakes on the Chapel ceiling. Bloody cowboys they had in there!
4
2
113
Show replies