The Use of Blockchain Technology and OCR in E-Government for Document Management: Inbound Invoice Management as an Example  
[PERSON]  
Department of Computer Science, Birzeit University, Birzeit 71939, Palestine; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.A.)  
Mariam Jaber  
Department of Computer Science, Birzeit University, Birzeit 71939, Palestine; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.A.)  
[PERSON]  
Department of Computer Science, Birzeit University, Birzeit 71939, Palestine; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.A.)  
[PERSON]  
Department of Computer Science, Birzeit University, Birzeit 71939, Palestine; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.A.)  
[PERSON]  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [PERSON]  
Department of Computer Science, Birzeit University, Birzeit 71939, Palestine; [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (H.B. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (S.A.)  
[PERSON]  
Correspondence: [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); [EMAIL_ADDRESS] (A.K. ); abdallah@birzeit. put the owner at risk [5]. Hence, in conventional systems, it is imperative to put pressure on employees to concentrate on all aspects of their work. As per the given context, performing manual labour demands greater exertion and a larger physical area for managing records on paper [5]. Moreover, conventional systems provide an ideal environment for fraudulent activities and the act of forging. They permit duplicate data entry; there is no assurance of the integrity of the documents and the written data [5]. The implementation of an electronic system instead of the conventional paper-based system is expected to result in a reduction in the workforce, leading to a decrease in both mistakes in typing and security risks, as well as operating expenses [2]. Although e-government offers numerous benefits, there are still administrative challenges, such as fraud and bribery, that impede its widespread acceptance as an acceptable platform. For example, it is feasible to enter incorrect information into the database for a fee, despite the fact that this data is completely transparent. The authors of [6] indicate that a significant proportion, ranging from 35 to 40%, of applications submitted in the government sector are considered fraudulent. If corruption in government is not eradicated, it will undermine the rule of law and democratic values of nations. It will also have a negative impact on the economy of nations, impede the country's development, and provide individuals with inferior services [7]. Consequently, this will result in a decline of trust towards the governing authorities [8]. The objective of this study is to utilise blockchain technology in the realm of e-government, with the aim of capitalising on its efficacy [9]. It helps establish the groundwork for a new framework called SECHash (Scanning, Extraction, Confirmation, and Hashing of Documents). The process of validation involves the use of blockchain and optical character recognition (OCR) technologies to ascertain the genuineness of any incoming document. This procedure entails applying OCR to extract data from the submitted files and inserting the extracted data on the blockchain. The system stores all documents with cryptographic signatures and hashes. Therefore, it is impossible to transmit fake documents after the fact or use them after they have been stored. As a result, all data are unchangeable; once a document has been saved to the system, it cannot be deleted or altered. Therefore, SECHash performs the following actions for the submitted document:  
1. After confirmation, protect the document's data from any modification. 2. After acceptance, protect the document data from damage or loss. The structure of this paper is as follows: Section 2 discusses related blockchain technology work and its contributions. Section 3 discusses the construction of the SECHash proposal system model.