Each month, the open access team of the University of Groningen Library (UB) puts a recent open access article by UG authors in the spotlight. This publication is highlighted via social media and the library’s newsletter and website.

The article in the spotlight for the month of February 2025 is titled Picking the juiciest cherries from the blockchain tree: Is the hype still alive?, written by María Lorena Flórez Rojas (Faculty of Law at the University of Groningen) and Philipp Langer (Computer Engineer).

Introduction

Over the last years, blockchain technology has been promoted to revolutionize industries through trustless transactions. However, it has recently faced scrutiny for its failure to deliver on its alleged potential. This paper shows how blockchain applications have fallen short of their claims, including trustless and fraud-less transactions, as well as transparency systems. Building on this analysis, this research inspects how Blockchain’s building blocks, such as the Merkle tree and digital signatures, are still highly relevant technological concepts since their introduction decades ago. The paper examines these aspects, the unfulfilled claims, and the salvageable features through a critical analysis, offering insights into various sectors and jurisdictions, using as an example case a public project developed in Colombia. From cases of wrongful implementations, the paper demonstrates the necessity to put specific needs and requirements of real-world applications before the urge to apply blockchain technology without diligent social analysis, especially considering public funds.

Can you explain what blockchain technology is in lay terminology?

Blockchain is often described as a digital ledger, similar to a shared online notebook, where each entry is permanently recorded, time-stamped, and linked to previous entries. Imagine a long chain of digital “blocks,” each containing transactions or information. Once added, these blocks in principle, cannot be altered or deleted without everyone in the network noticing. This critical aspect is what we analyze in our paper.

Blockchain’s appeal lies in its potential for secure, transparent, and decentralized applications, particularly in areas such as financial transactions, digital identity, and public procurement. However, as our research highlights, real-world implementations often introduce legal and technical complexities that challenge these initial promises.

If you could design an ideal framework for evaluating whether a blockchain-based solution is appropriate for a given problem, what would its key criteria be?

Given the challenges identified in our research, an ideal framework for assessing blockchain suitability should include:

• Necessity of decentralization: Does the problem require a decentralized system, or would a traditional database suffice?
• Trust and verification: Does blockchain meaningfully reduce reliance on trusted intermediaries, or does it merely shift trust to code developers or oracles?
• Data integrity vs. data accuracy: Blockchain ensures data remains unchanged, but does it prevent fraudulent or erroneous entries?
• Scalability and efficiency: Can the system handle the required transaction volume without excessive costs or technical barriers?

• Regulatory compatibility: Does blockchain align with data protection laws and public governance structures?

This framework helps determine whether blockchain is truly a value-added solution or just an expensive and overcomplicated alternative. Definitely, each application is different, and each sector has its own specificities. However, asking the right questions before jumping into the blockchain hype can help organizations save money, time, and data.

You have contributed to two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) about AI. What do you think of the MOOC as a method to make courses openly available?

MOOCs are a powerful tool for democratizing education, particularly in emerging fields like AI and digital governance. They enable a global audience to access high-quality academic content without financial or geographic barriers. However, the challenge lies in maintaining engagement and ensuring that students receive practical, hands-on learning rather than just theoretical knowledge. Integrating real-world case studies, interactive simulations, and collaborative projects into MOOCs can enhance their effectiveness.

Could you reflect on your experiences with open access and open science in general?

Open access and open science are essential for ensuring that research benefits a broader audience beyond academia. In my own work, I have seen how open access publications help policymakers, practitioners, and even non-experts engage with critical discussions. However, there is still a need for more structured incentives for academics to publish openly, as many high-impact journals remain behind paywalls. Moving towards more inclusive publishing and peer-reviewer models can bridge the gap between research and real-world application.

Additionally, open access plays a crucial role in the democratization of knowledge. It is not just about making Western, English-language research available but also about ensuring access to high-quality, critical research tailored to specific regions, languages, and legal frameworks. For example, being able to share my research in Spanish and other languages provides opportunities for a much wider audience to benefit from these findings. Many legal and technological debates are highly contextual, and ensuring that research is available in different languages allows for a more diverse and inclusive exchange of knowledge, ultimately strengthening global academic and policy discussions.

Useful links:

MOOCs featuring María Lorena Flórez Rojas (in Spanish):

• Introducción a la inteligencia artificial contemporánea

• ¿Cómo hacer uso responsable de la inteligencia artificial?

Citation:

María Lorena Flórez Rojas, Philipp Langer, Picking the juiciest cherries from the blockchain tree: Is the hype still alive?, International Journal of Law and Information Technology, Volume 32, Issue 1, 2024, eaae022, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijlit/eaae022 

If you would like us to highlight your open access publication here, please get in touch with us: openaccess rug.nl.