Blockchain na Administração Pública brasileira: a tecnologia como instrumento de confiança, transparência e participação democrática na era digital

Abstract

The present paper examines the possible changes that the adoption of blockchain technology can cause in the relationship between the administrator and the administered, as well as the social implications on public governance and democracy. To this end, from the deductive method, with the predominance of a qualitative analysis, questions were formulated, the answers to which were presented throughout the research. The main questions proposed were: (a) what is blockchain and how does it work? (b) Why do governments and Public Administration entities seek solutions based on this technology? (c) Why is this tool necessary? (d) What problems is this technology capable of solving? (e) How can it be used for the benefit of society in order to leverage values such as trust, transparency and democratic participation? (f) Is current legislation compatible with the applications? (g) What are the risks and challenges of its adoption? (h) What are the prospects for its application to the public sector? In the end, it was concluded that the relevance of blockchain for the public interest lies in the simultaneous offering of trust, transparency and democratic participation, pillars desired by all citizens. Blockchain is a powerful instrument in the government's challenging digital transformation process as it presents exclusive advantages of its infrastructure not present in other technologies: it solves the problem of double spending in an innovative way; records data on a decentralized network in a distributed peer-to-peer system; ensures the integrity of stored data through encryption and allows network users to validate transactions using consensus protocols. Thus, blockchain technology significantly changes the way data and virtual assets are stored and transacted, adding value to public acts and services provided by enabling security, transparency, traceability, and reliability. It is noteworthy that technology, in itself, does not determine social change. The knowledge, the initiatives involved in the discovery process and the mode of application that really have the power to transform the reality in which innovation is inserted.