Blockchain Consent Provenance for Consumer Data Supply Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
The lack of standardized consent management and provenance tracking in consumer data supply chains complicates compliance with privacy regulations, necessitates laborious and costly integration processes, and hinders consistent consumer consent management across multiple companies, while opt-out mechanisms are inefficient and lack centralized oversight.
Innovation Solution
A blockchain-based decentralized ledger system for managing consumer consents, enabling standardized data transfer and opt-out processes, ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR by maintaining a transparent and synchronized record of consent across participating companies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional centralized data management systems are used, then data processing is simple and fast, but data privacy cannot be ensured and user control is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments data management by creating individual blockchain records for each data element, with each record containing metadata about the data, its location, and access permissions. This segmentation allows decentralized control while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized record structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain acts as an intermediary layer between data providers and consumers, mediating trust and control without requiring direct centralized authority. The distributed ledger records all data transactions, providing transparency and auditability while reducing the need for complex centralized management systems.
2Reliability
If data is stored on multiple servers and clouds, then data availability is improved, but tracking data location and access becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where every data access and transfer event is recorded on the blockchain, creating an immutable audit trail. This feedback loop provides continuous visibility into data location and access patterns, enabling real-time tracking without requiring complex centralized monitoring systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The blockchain-based tracking system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it tracks data location, monitors access patterns, ensures data integrity, and provides audit capabilities. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate systems into a single unified tracking mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If consent management is manual and centralized, then implementation is simple, but compliance with diverse data protection laws becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The consent management system is dynamic, allowing users to grant, revoke, or modify permissions at any time through the blockchain interface. The system automatically adapts to different compliance requirements by enabling granular control over data access rights, making it versatile for various regulatory environments without requiring complex manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
Users directly control their own data permissions through the blockchain interface, eliminating the need for complex centralized consent management. The system provides self-service functionality where users can manage their own consent preferences, and the blockchain automatically enforces these preferences across all data access requests, simplifying implementation while improving compliance adaptability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If data sharing is enabled across multiple organizations, then data utility is improved, but security risks and breach propagation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality control by implementing fine-grained access permissions for each data element, allowing different levels of access for different users and organizations. This enables data sharing across multiple organizations while maintaining security through localized permission control, preventing unauthorized access and limiting breach propagation to only those with explicit permissions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is a system based on decentralized ledgers to enable compliance with privacy regulations. A consumer identifier (consumer ID) allows consent provenance to be saved in a shared decentralized ledger. The consent ID also empowers consumers to query as to how their data has been moved through the data supply chain. The consumer data itself is not stored in the blockchain, only consents and data transfer events. A consent API allows companies to enter the original consumer consent in a consent ledger; a data transfer API allows companies to record transfers from one to another; and a subscription API allows companies to be notified of changes to a given consent.