You’re reading The Brazilian Report‘s weekly tech roundup, a digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil. This week’s topics: Brazil’s “blockchain baby.” Brazilians are completely hooked on WhatsApp. Brazilian “green cleaning” startup to go to the U.S. And São Paulo’s 2-square-meter accommodations.
Hearing that a baby has been put on the blockchain sparks one of two reactions: either you think that we are entering a magical era in which technology will solve all of our problems, or you’re already preparing your bunker for when the machines inevitably rise against us.
But, yes, blockchain babies exist. The first was recorded in Tanzania last year, as part of an experiment by international organization AID:Tech to use technology as a way to ensure that charitable donations reached their intended targets. This trend—if we can call it that—has reached Brazil. Born in Rio de Janeiro on July 8, 2019, Álvaro de Medeiros Mendonça became Brazil’s very first blockchain baby.
Blockchain technology is the brainchild of a mysterious person—or group of people—under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. As I do not claim to be an expert on the concept, allow me to borrow the definition written by entrepreneur Ameer Rosic on the BlockGeeks website. He writes:
A blockchain is, in the simplest of terms, a time-stamped series of immutable records of data that is managed by a cluster of computers not owned by any single entity. Each of these blocks of data (i.e. block) is secured and bound to each other using cryptographic principles (i.e. chain).
Got it?
While there was no practical reason for it, little Álvaro’s birth certificate was registered through Growth Tech’s Notary Ledgers network, which provides notary services through IBM’s blockchain. Besides the two companies, a Rio de Janeiro notary office teamed up with the initiative—which should be soon implemented...
Representatives of drivers and Uber competitors are not yet satisfied with the federal government's bill…
Rescue efforts are ongoing in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, after floods and…
Over 230,000 people have been displaced, more than 67,500 of which are in shelters
Between 2013 and 2023, there were an astonishing 953 decrees of emergencies or public calamities…
The stranded horse caught the attention of digital influencer Felipe Neto, one of the most…
The Federal Prosecution Office on Tuesday charged Congressman Chiquinho Brazão and his younger brother, Domingos…