‘Blockchain-powered digital certificates is the way forward’

Blockchain technology can address fake degree certificates problem, says Shiva Kintali, a US-based entrepreneur.

A native of the city, Shiva studied in the local schools and later at IIT, Kharagpur, and he pursued his higher studies in the USA. He is the founder and CEO of TrueCerts, a consultancy firm based at San Francisco, which helps educational institutions and universities in issuing blockchain-powered digital certificates.

He participated in the Vizag Fintech Festival which concluded here on Friday. He said in an interview that he had presented a paper in the festival, explaining the process and ease of issuing digital certificates based on blockchain technology.

Often, he said, employers in the US and in India do not verify the educational qualifications and credentials of the job applicants, as the process is time-consuming, cumbersome and costly. “They take it on trust. It is easy to obtain fake online degrees and therefore universities must issue digital, tamper-proof degree certificates,” he said.

He said intermediaries can be avoided for verification, and be done virtually in seconds and at no cost. "I strongly feel universities and educational institutions in India should issue digital, tamper-proof certificates, as the technology is now available," he said.

He praised the Andhra Pradesh Government for encouraging blockchain technology “which has many applications, especially in fraud prevention and detection. It will be of great help in digitising land records.” The State Government's efforts to promote fintech is also laudable, he added.