Tag: drug

HashCash Consultants to Streamline Drug Research and Clinical Trials with Blockchain

HashCash Consultants, a US-based blockchain development company, has set its eyes on revamping the complex process of clinical trials and drug research by availing blockchain solutions. It intends to realize this by forming a pharma consortium with pharmaceutical firms and other medical players.

Blockchain-enabled coordination

It goes without saying that the drug development process is lengthy and complicated because it is subjected to clinical trials and regulatory approvals before a drug can be given the green-light for the market. For instance, new vaccines require intensive clinical research and human trials followed by mass production and distribution. 

HashCash Consultants seeks to fill the void caused by delays triggered by the absence of a unified system by presenting blockchain-based coordination between all participants, including pharma companies and researchers. As a result, the entire process will be consolidated using a collaborative, uniform, and blockchain-powered platform for the timely delivery of vaccines or drugs.

Raj Chowdhury, HashCash Consultants CEO, noted, “A blockchain network for consolidating the drug research and clinical trial process will be part of our medical supply chain initiative. We are in talks with pharma companies who have expressed interest in augmenting their existing system with DLT to eliminate the roadblocks to drug and vaccine development that they are currently facing. The aim is to make the process more coordinated and less time-consuming so that it can cater better to a global health crisis or in matters of any kind of drug development in the future.”

By leveraging on the distributed ledger technology (DLT), the vaccine development process will be enshrined in absolute transparency.

Blockchain-powered identity management

Through the strategic partnership, clinical trials will also be streamlined by blockchain-enabled identity management and smart contracts as the security and privacy of patient data will be safeguarded. 

Regulatory bodies will also have the opportunity to track the trial and development phases in real-time because the blockchain platform will propel traceability and immutability. This initiates quicker approvals of vaccines or drugs for mass production. 

A recent report by Allied Market Research shows that the global blockchain identity management market will skyrocket to $11.46 billion by 2026 from $107 million recorded in 2018 because of the unified, interoperable, and immutable infrastructure offered by blockchain. 

Image via Shutterstock

New York Times Square Billboard Demands Release of Silk Road Darknet Drug Trafficker

A billboard in Times Square has been hired by the ‘Free Ross’ movement as part of a campaign to release Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road contraband marketplace on the darknet.

Ross Ulbricht is currently serving a double life sentence for his role as a darknet marketplace entrepreneur. He is in the seventh year of his sentence and it would appear that he is unlikely to ever be released without a pardon. He is 36 years old.

According to a tweet from the account ‘Clemency for Ross’, the billboard has been rented for several months. The post also claims the campaign message was paid for by a single ‘generous supporter’ and was not funded by any donations that they have received.

Ulbricht Double Life Sentence

Ulbricht was arrested and imprisoned in 2013 for setting up the ‘Silk Road’ darknet marketplace. He operated the site under the alias, ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’ an obvious homage to the staple character in the Princess Bride.

The Silk Road online darknet market place reached the height of its popularity in 2011, and it was a pioneer in postal order drugs and other contraband, and unfortunately, the use of cryptocurrency and Bitcoin for trade on the black market.

Court documents from that time show that the darknet site facilitated around 1,229,465 transactions over its two-year operation. Ulbricht took a percentage of all proceeds. 

Child Porn Solution From Prison

Despite having no access to the internet, Ulbricht has been able to remain active in the crypto community via his friends and supporters who will publish his contributions online.

Last month on May 20, one of his followers published on Ulbricht’s Medium account on his behalf. The article is on Ulbricht’s proposed automated solution called ‘ZKANN’ which the Silk Road founder believes would be an effective measure against the spread of child pornography and pedophilia on encrypted platforms.

Unfortunately, the use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum has become the preferred payment for internet-based human trafficking and sexual exploitation services, which include blackmail porn and the sexual assault of minors and children.

Ulbricht states that as many large platforms already deploy algorithms such as to automatically moderate content. He goes on to recommend that the operators of encrypted platforms should combine zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) in conjunction with artificial neural networks (ANN)s to identify content depicting child abuse.

Ulbricht also advises that law enforcement data be used to train the ZKANN (ZKP + ANN) to identify the child porn and other inappropriate content and stop it from being launched on public systems.

Like the namesake of his alias, “Dread Pirate Roberts” it appears that Ulbricht is also more than what he appears. Despite his reputation as a criminal among the public, it seems underneath the guise of this notorious drug trafficker image is a man with some virtues worth respect which is perhaps why, even now, he finds himself with strong support for clemency.

India Darknet Policing Ramps Up Following Drug Racket Arrests

Law enforcement agencies in India are teaming up with national research and academic institutions to enhance their ability to police the darknet. 

Indian law enforcement agencies are collaborating, as part of a think-tank, with academic institutions, technology startups, and research organizations to bolster darknet policing capabilities in the nation.

According to the Hindustan Times, sources close to the matter said, “A Union home ministry think-tank is studying software solutions to help law enforcement agencies monitor the darknet, or a network of secret websites and encrypted networks, and track cybercriminals through digital footprints.”

The joint effort is expected to analyse limitations of policing the darknet and produce a range of solutions to bolster law enforcement on the dark web. So far, the police have identified around 12 clear problems with their ability to police the darknet in India and submitted these to the cohort of 120 academic and research institutions.

The Hindustan Times also reports that the law enforcement resource being developed will leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to update itself automatically and regularly. There are also plans to design a case management platform for financial crimes.

Darknet Violations Surging

The darknet is the overlay network within the internet that can only be accessed by specific software which rose to infamy within the crypto-community thanks to the Silk Road darknet marketplace. Via the Silk Road, darknet users could get their hands on just about anything, from narcotics to weapons, and they could pay using Bitcoin.

According to the Times of India, as part of a global crackdown targeting darknet narcotics and black market pharmaceutical syndicates, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau made several important arrests in the global Operation Trace enforcement action. The arrested syndicate accepted payments in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Cryptocurrency and the Dark Web

Policing the dark web has become more of a priority for global law enforcement since the advent of cryptocurrency, which often gives criminals a less traceable means of paying for illicit services.

The use of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum has become the preferred payment for internet-based human trafficking and sexual exploitation services, which include blackmail porn and the sexual assault of minors and children, according to forensics firm Chainalysis.

While the perception is that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether can be used anonymously, sophisticated analysts are now actually using the underlying blockchain technology against criminals as all transactions are immutable and traceable.

Recently, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Criminal Analyst, Kim Reece was named as a finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal. Reece’s blockchain analysis led to an international criminal investigation of one of the largest dark web child pornography sites—’Welcome to Video’ that leveraged cryptocurrency to cloak their payments on over one million video downloads.

Working alongside cross-agency partners Christopher M. Janczewski, IRS- Criminal Investigations, and Zia M. Faruqui of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Reece’s contribution led to the arrests of the site’s operator, Jong Woo, and more than 300 users, as well as the rescue of 25 exploited children. All through blockchain traceability.

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