Computer Science Lecture Considers the Downside of Blockchain Technology

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, executive assistant; tele: 413-597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., March 1, 2019—Williams College welcomes James Mickens, associate professor of computer science at Harvard University, who will present the talk “Blockchains Are a Bad Idea (More Specifically, Blockchains Are a Very Bad Idea).” Sponsored by Williams’ computer science department, the talk will be held on Thursday, March 7, at 8 p.m. in the Wege Auditorium, with a reception to follow. The event is free and open to the public.

Many propose blockchains—an incorruptible digital ledger of economic transactions that can be programmed to record not just financial transactions but virtually everything of value—as the best storage technology for a variety of uses (e.g., supply chain management and the administration of medical records). Mickens, whose research largely focuses on the problems that arise when distributed systems must scale to many users and many machines, argues that blockchains do not adequately fit higher level applications, contrary to some reports in popular media. Guests are welcome to share counter arguments.

Mickens received a B.S. in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2001. In 2008, he received a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of Michigan. He will also be available for questions on Friday, March 8, at 2:35 p.m., in Wege Auditorium as part of a computer science colloquium.

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Published March 1, 2019