Managing Knowledge Provenance using Blockchain

Abstract

The emergence of a "post-fact" world has seen knowledge being misinterpreted and manipulated to suit diverse purposes. Information from credible sources is often drowned out by `facts' with dubious provenance. It is not enough to simply establish knowledge provenance if this meta-data can be changed afterwards. This paper presents a possible solution using blockchains to manage knowledge provenance. The solution is modelled using a concrete example of knowledge institutions. Variations and extensions to suit other domains are suggested. Particularly, a graph based variation of the blockchain is outlined. We also discuss the impact of our model beyond technology.