MIT launches platform based on Blockchain to register university diplomas

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced the collection of US $ 3 million after the launch of a Blockchain-based initiative to register and verify academic degrees.

Last October of 2017, MIT revealed its association with the startup "Learning Machine" to create a platform supported in the Blockchain focused on the academy. Dean Mary Callahan explained the following:

From the beginning, our main motivation has always been to encourage students to manage their own academic records and degrees. This pilot model will allow them to take ownership of their records and be able to share them securely with whoever wants to do so.

It should be noted that the companies "PTB Ventures", "Omidyar Network" and "Learn Capital" were responsible for supporting the fundraising.

For its part, the Vice President of Learning Machine, Natalie Smolenski, clarified that another of the project's features will allow users to freely choose the Blockchain platforms they wish, whether Bitcoin or Ethereum, whether they want to register their academic credentials in a chain of public or private blocks. In this regard, Smolenski added that:

At this moment the technology based on the Blockchain is still new, and that is why there are still conflicting opinions about which version is better. [...] Our goal is not to choose winners in terms of Blockchain. Generally, we recommend that users choose blockchains with a proven track record, but ultimately, we do not want to prescribe to clients which blockchain they should use. If they want to choose Ethereum's, they can do it, or if they want to use Bitcoin's, they also have that option.

As a final note, Smolenski said that by 2020 probably most academic institutions will use this technology in one way or another.

For now, we know that changes are already beginning to occur, not only from MIT, but from institutes such as the University of Melbourne, the University of Switzerland and the authorities of Malta, who have also joined efforts to improve education. through the use of this new technological resource.