Indian state police to use blockchain to protect informants' anonymity

The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing police launched a blockchain initiative to ensure anonymity for informants.

As part of efforts to upscale its security services through a proper feedback mechanism, the South Indian state police will allow everyone to anonymously share vital information on crimes, such as smuggling, possessing, or selling illicit antique idols.

Jayanth Murali, the director general of police, said blockchain would help ensure that the complaints are not tampered with or changed. Smart contracts make filing a paper more accessible and faster, enabling quicker response times and greater efficiency for police departments.

He also added that the current system was frequently the target of tampering and manipulation. Meanwhile, blockchain enables complaints to be logged and tracked in an immutable ledger, meaning that once a complaint is uploaded, it cannot be changed or removed.

Information dropped on the blockchain will take time to be acted on. Before working on it, the officers must determine how cognizable and feasible it is. The informants would be entitled to Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) if the information released leads to the seizure or arrest of an idol thief or smuggler.

The police also promised to address any issues brought up by the tool within a fortnight. The officer handling the grievances is expected to post actions taken on blockchain within one week.