The government agency notorious for long lines and endless bureaucracy, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), is remaking its image in California with its latest move into Web3.
The California DMV has partnered with the decentralized blockchain Tezos and a crypto-focused development company called Oxhead to build a blockchain that will be run by the DMV. The blockchain will digitize car titles for drivers in the state, and also make it easier to switch titles. For anyone who’s had to slog through the traditional process of switching titles, this is a big deal.
Ajay Gupta, the chief officer at the California DMV, said the agency is aiming to finish its ledger within three months. The ledger is a complete replicate of the state’s title databases on the blockchain. Once this process is complete, they will work to build consumer applications like digital wallets. He added that the perception of the DMV has lagged behind the times and “should definitely change.”
In 2020, California released a report that outlined potential blockchain uses, with the DMV as an option. According to the news, the project with Tezos and Oxhead began at the onset of 2020, but was put on hold during the pandemic.
The president of Oxhead Alpha, Andrew Smith, said he was pleased with how quickly the California DMV was moving forward with the initiative. He said that Web3 could provide common-sense solutions by digitizing car titles and tracking their movement, a clear improvement from the “18th-century paper-based technology” agencies currently employ.
A persistent digital title in the form of an NFT would be immutable, provide proof-of-ownership, and could be secured and easily transferred on the blockchain. Hopefully, it can reduce those cumbersome lines at the DMV as well.
Interesting Uses of Blockchain & Web3 Tech
If California can successfully put titles onto the blockchain, it could be revolutionary for DMVs around the country. But California’s DMV isn’t the only entity that’s using Web3 technology to solve current problems. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several projects that employ Web3 tech in interesting ways. Here are the top three.
First, about six months ago, the country of Colombia partnered with Ripple Labs to store land deeds on the blockchain. The move came in a push to make certifying and record-keeping of land deeds in Colombia more transparent and secure.
South Korea just unleashed its metaverse city called “Metaverse Seoul,” a virtual world that is a digital twin of the country’s capital. The metaverse will focus on connecting citizens to government services, and also contains popular tourist destinations recreated in VR.
Finally, just last week, blockchain and AI company WISEKey announced a new project to put real-life trees on the blockchain. Users can mint NFTs linked to actual trees, which will help to create sustainable asset-based markets for sequestering carbon dioxide.
The uses of Web3 technology are still being explored and discovered, and we’ll likely have to wait some time to see if California’s move to digitize car deeds will be successful. But if it is, we think (and hope!) that more DMVs will follow their lead.