Nuggets creates blockchain for trustless & contactless deliveries

Alastair Johnson, the CEO and Founder of Nuggets thinks that blockchain-based biometrics are important to the future of contactless delivery

According to Nuggets CEO, Alastair Johnson, the future of contactless parcel delivery will be made possible by a blockchain-based biometric ID system. Nuggets has created a system that allows consumers to place a biometric ID in a secure blockchain, which can then be used by last-mile parcel carriers to obtain delivery authorisation for packages.

COVID-19 has created a surge in demand for contactless parcel deliveries — but with the rise in signature-less deliveries has come a massive ramp-up in chargebacks to merchants. Without a good solution to this problem, the online selling space could face much higher costs, as merchants need to offset lost profits from the chargebacks.

Blockchain makes biometrics easy to implement

The need for a contactless delivery confirmation solution is growing. Unlike systems that would require a photo of the person who receives the package, Nuggets has created a system that wouldn’t require people to trust a parcel carrier with any personal information whatsoever.

Nuggets uses a blockchain to store a piece of acceptable biometric ID, which the parcel carrier will use to authorise the delivery of a package. When the last-mile carrier is near the client’s address, the client will be alerted to the delivery via their smartphone, and they can authorize the parcel to be delivered.

The platform is free to consumers, and offers incentives to both parcel carriers and to anyone who wants to make parcel delivery more secure.

According to Johnson,

“The economic drivers are all on the business side, namely chargebacks and failed deliveries. For the consumer, it is about privacy and data control,” he said. With their digital ID safely stored, there is no need for passwords or security questions about the name of their mother’s first pet, he noted.

Secure solutions

Nuggets will take a consumer’s biometric ID and hash it on a blockchain, then storing it in IPFS decentralized storage.

The result of this is a zero-knowledge proof that only the client can access. With this system, any risk of compromised information is effectively eliminated, with the system also making it easy for parcel carriers to gain biometric authorisation for deliveries.

Johnson stated, “We supply the line of code the courier needs to ping the consumer.”

As people adapt to a changing social structure brought on by a pandemic, platforms like Nuggets will likely find more interest from both consumers and from parcel companies who need better contactless authorisation systems.