How can blockchain be used in sex technology?

Blockchain has become such a buzzword that it can be hard to understand how it can be used in any industry, let alone sex technology. Countless innovators like to throw this term around, adding to the hype but also to the confusion of those who aren’t yet sure how it works.

Essentially, blockchain is an extremely large (decentralised) database that is securely encrypted to ensure that its information cannot be tampered with. There is not much of a theoretical basis to blockchain – instead, it’s a very practical thing. It was originally designed for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and it uses distributed ledger technology to securely store and exchange information, which can range from data to money. Distributed ledger technology is a technology used to manage transactions – containing details of the assets stored within the transactions – but is decentralised instead of centralised (like in your average database). This means that information is stored within each block, instead of the whole database. Together, a chain of blocks (see! Block + chain = blockchain) form a network that contains all relevant information and communicates with each other, whereas in a centralised database, this information would all be kept in one place.

With blockchain, each block is completely secured and you can trust that the information stored within it is accurate and has not been tampered with. These aspects of security and trust are some of blockchain’s most promising advantages. Each block contains its own unique hash – which is a long series of numbers. It also contains part of the hash in the block that comes right before it. Each block in the chain is constantly checking the validity of hashes, and rapidly reject any unauthorised changes. In this way, security and trust are found in the security of a peer-to-peer network. Because of this, tampering with the information in a block is almost impossible, because this would change the hash of a block and all preceding blocks would raise the alarm and reject the change. This is a great video for those who want to learn more about how blockchain words, and Harvard Business Review also provides a summary in plain English.

It all sounds very reliable and fancy, and blockchain has been proposed for use in many industries and areas, ranging from the original cryptocurrency purpose to electronic voting. And while it’s not correct to say that blockchain technology is still in its infancy, there is definitely a long way to go until it reaches its full potential: some say that this point will be decades away.

Because blockchain is a secure transaction tool, there are countless industries it has impacted already. The sex technology industry is no exception: blockchain’s ability to conduct secure, trustworthy transactions is of enormous value to this industry, who by nature constantly navigates themes such as privacy and discreteness. There are a whole range of companies who have already incorporated blockchain technology into their business model.

So far in the sex technology industry, blockchain has been largely used to record details of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct. For example, Leda Health use blockchain as a base for their at-home sexual assault kit. Smashboard and VaultPlatform also incorporate blockchain into their business, to allow people who have experienced sexual abuse or workplace sexual harassment to privately and securely store details and evidence. More controversially, LegalFling is a blockchain-based app to request and identify explicit consent before having sex. While it is a good example of blockchain technology, it is deeply problematic because – among other reasons – it does not recognise that consent can be revoked at any time, even after swiping right and signing a digital contract to have sex with another person. It has been banned from major application platforms such as IoS and Android. This is an apt example to show that it’s not enough to simply jump on the blockchain hype – the technology needs to be used in a relevant and appropriate context.

But if blockchain is such a secure and trustworthy technological tool to conduct transactions, why isn’t everyone using it? The reality is that blockchain is still a developing technology, and some issues include the slow transaction speed and the environmental impact of all the energy involved in storing and processing blockchain data. For blockchain to be widely used in the sex technology industry, first there will have to be continued developments in the technology itself. But companies such as Leda Health, Smashboard, and VaultPlatform demonstrate that the sex technology industry is at the forefront of technological innovation – they are prepared to trial new innovations and create cutting edge products that have the capacity to change both wellness and pleasure, as well as technology itself.