If you spend any time using technology, you probably have a long list of passwords. Remembering usernames and complicated passwords is one of the most annoying aspects of the technological age. You might have also heard news reports about hackers who steal passwords and financial information. Companies spend millions of dollars keeping information safe and away from hackers. A solution was invented in 2008 by someone using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. Blockchain technology is making the Internet more secure through a creative solution. Rather than keeping important information in a single database, the information is spread across a network of computers. Because all the computers record the information, it doesn't matter if one computer is hacked. The information is saved in a "block" that is connected to the blocks that came before and after it. A chain of information blocks is created, which gives the process the name "blockchain." Because blockchain can be used on different types of transactions, it is sure to become part of our everyday lives. Blockchain can be used to record financial transactions, agreements, and contracts, and to store data and cryptocurrency. Satoshi Nakamoto created blockchain to keep records of people buying and selling with Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency. Technology companies are already using blockchain. Microsoft and IBM are using blockchains to help companies keep track of their supply chain. For example, food companies quickly track food that has made people ill. They can also save money by using the data from the blockchain to prevent food waste. Blockchains can be public, for transactions between two people, or private, for transactions between two companies. The Harvard Business Review called blockchain a "quiet revolution." As more companies use blockchain, businesses will increase efficiency as they buy and sell. Information and records will be secure from hackers. Companies like banks may become less important as people can buy and sell directly using blockchain to record the transaction. With so many ways it can be used, blockchain might become a part of everyday life in the same way the Internet is.
如果你長時間使用科技，應該會有一長串的密碼清單。在這個科技世代，要記住眾多使用者名稱和繁複密碼實屬麻煩。而駭客竊取密碼與金融資訊的報導亦時有所聞。許多公司斥資上百萬元維護資訊安全並遏止駭客。而化名「中本聰」的某位人士，則在2008 年發明了一項解套技術。 區塊鏈技術透過創意的解決方案，讓網路交易更加安全。此技術不將重要資料放在同一個資料庫，而是散布在眾多電腦組成的網絡。由於所有電腦均同時記錄該筆資料，因此即使某部電腦被駭客入侵也無妨。因為該筆資料已儲存於一個「區塊」中，此區塊又與前後區塊相連，形成一連串的資訊區塊，「區塊鏈」一稱由此產生。 由於區塊鏈可用於不同交易類別，因此勢必成為日常生活不可或缺的元素。區塊鏈可用於記錄金融交易、協議與合約內容，並可儲存數據資料和加密貨幣。中本聰設計區塊鏈的目的，在於保存以虛擬加密貨幣「比特幣」買賣的記錄。科技公司已經開始運用區塊鏈。微軟和IBM 均採用區塊鏈來幫助各公司記錄供應鏈的來龍去脈。例如食品公司能迅速追蹤導致食物中毒的食品，亦可運用區塊鏈的數據資料預防食物浪費，進而節省開支。區塊鏈可設為公開狀態，例如兩人之間的交易；亦可設為隱私狀態，例如兩家公司之間的交易。 《哈佛商業評論》雜誌稱區塊鏈為「寧靜革命」。越來越多公司採用區塊鏈，進而增加買賣效率。各類資料與記錄亦免於駭客盜取。銀行類的事業體可能不再那麼重要，因為大家可直接透過區塊鏈交易並加以記錄。由於區塊鏈的用途如此廣泛，這項技術有朝一日或許會像網路一樣，成為日常生活不可或缺的一部分。 | 
