From online banking to healthcare and social media, personal information is widely available and easily exposed more than ever before.  The trend of  smartphone applications tracking location, financial, and biometric data to make common day-to-day activities easier and convenient, has only intensified the debate on privacy.  With higher risk has come an increasing rate of privacy breaches that have prompted blockchain projects to be developed as a solution to address this issue with security and transparency.

IBM is teaming up with non-profit Sovrin Foundation to use blockchain technology to build a framework of global identity for both individuals and businesses, which aims to make everything in the online space as true and authentic as in the offline space (or "real world").