The blockchain technology is not new to UTAR. This technology was integrated into the university and adopted in March 2018 for an enhanced security feature for its degree certificates.

In addition to getting a hardcopy degree certificate, UTAR graduates are also issued a UTAR Blockchain Certificate (PDF copy) which can be used to verify the authenticity of the certificate issued by the university. Since March 2018, UTAR commenced issuing digital certificates on blockchain to all its graduates to ensure a more secured, easily verifiable and more accessible database of digital certificates. The UTAR Blockchain Certificate is issued to the graduate after the convocation ceremony and only the blockchain certificate issued by the university can be used for verification through blockchain. The information stored on block chain is more distributed and encrypted, making each block tamper proof, with the information secured but easily accessed by all parties concerned, especially employers and industry partners.
  
UTAR’s Blockchain Certification System is the collaborative effort of UTAR and Silverlake Symmetry and Technology Research Sdn Bhd, This Blockchain Certification System was officially launched on 9 February in the presence of Silverlake Founder and Group Chairman Mr Goh Peng Ooi at UTAR Sungai Long Campus.

Subsequently, in August 2019, the graduates of the 29th UTAR convocation had their hard copy certificates encrypted with QR codes as an additional security feature to deter certificate forgery and the duplication of fake certificates. The necessary data required for verification of the degree certificate is encrypted in the QR code. By scanning the QR code on the certificate, verification of the certificate authenticity can be done via the certificate verification portal at certs.utar.edu.my. By introducing the QR code on the certificate, the verification process by external parties, especially prospective employers is convenient and fast. Forged hardcopy certificates which come with invalid QR codes will result in failure of verification. 

How the verification works

Dubbed by Bill Gates as “a technology tour de force”, the blockchain is a decentralised and distributed database stored with encrypted entries akin to a chain of blocks. Each block stores data that is encrypted and time-stamped. The addition of each new block to the previous block on the chain forms a timeline, thus making each block tamper-proof, as any changes in any single block would require the alteration of all subsequent blocks. Another reason for such near-impossible modification is also due to blockchain’s nature of containing data that is distributed across a decentralised worldwide network of computers.

In UTAR’s case, with blockchain technology, the digital certificates are stored indefinitely without any centralised database or central entity to manage the chain. The procedure of UTAR’s Blockchain Certification System begins right after the original hard copy certificates are scanned and converted into the digital version. After that, the digital copy is completed with the signed hash, and then posted on to the blockchain. This digital copy and an accompanying receipt are known as the UTAR Blockchain Certificate which is issued to the respective graduates after convocation.

The UTAR digital Blockchain Certificate, when used to apply for jobs, allows prospective employers to verify the authenticity of the degree certificate on the blockchain. All they need is to search on blockchain by uploading the UTAR Blockchain Certificate provided by the applicant, and retrieve the block containing the data, and match the hash. 

UTAR’s digital certificate are also verifiable at Silverlake’s iSmartCert Verification Portal (http://ismartcert.com) built exclusively for blockchain certificate verification. The portal is also easily accessible via the scanning of a QR code in the UTAR Blockchain Certificate.

With the integration of the blockchain technology and the QR code into the university certification system, UTAR is one of the handful of universities, if not the first, in Asia or the world, to launch this degree certification system using the blockchain technology. As such, UTAR graduates possess not only the hardcopy certificate protected by encrypted QR code, but also the digital certificate secured by the blockchain technology; thus, making the process of verifying the authenticity of the certificates transparent and convenient.

Besides reflecting UTAR’s technical acumen in mining the potential of technology for the benefit of its stakeholders, the measures taken are also a testament to the University’s commitment towards ensuring the integrity of its education system and the quality and reputation of its graduates.