Sony and Fujitsu Help Fight Fake Educational Documents Using Blockchain
Japan-based technology corporation Sony and Fujitsu, an IT equipment services firm, have developed an encrypted database for educational proficiency documents, according to a report by The Asahi Shimbun
The database is reported to use blockchain technology, and its goal is to prevent language proficiency documents from being forged since some foreigners purportedly use these fake documents to receive resident status so they can study in Japan.
To be granted resident status to study in Japan foreigners are required to submit a Japanese language proficiency certificate to the Immigration Bureau. These certificates can be issued by Japanese educational institutions abroad then Japanese language schools in the country will submit the documents on behalf of the overseas institutions.
There have been reports of illegal copies of these language certificates found in various countries. According to the Asahi Shimbun, if students don’t have proper language qualifications they can encounter difficulties in their everyday lives in Japan.
The two firms built the platform by mixing Fujitsu’s online learning system and a blockchain engineered by Sony subsidiary Sony Global Education Inc. By using the platform, Japanese language schools can compare certificates to information registered on the blockchain as a way to confirm if the documents are authentic or not.
The platform is set to be tested by Sony and Fujitsu in March before it’s used for real-world applications in April. The test will be held at Human Academy Co., which is in charge of schools in Osaka, Saga and Tokyo.
This won’t be the first time blockchain is used to prevent fake documents. For example, the Maltese government recently announced that all educational certifications in the country, including those from state, private and parochial schools, will be stored on the blockchain.
Last month, Cointelegraph reported that the University of Bahrain would also issue diplomas on the blockchain. The university uses the Blockcerts open standard in conjunction with Learning Machine, a startup that provides a blockchain-based system to hand out and verify official records.
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