Blockchain Data Anonymizing System for IoT Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a challenge in balancing public safety and personal privacy, particularly in public environments where camera systems capture personal data, which can be invasive if not properly protected and accessed.
Innovation Solution
A blockchain-based system that anonymizes data captured by IoT edge devices, using smart contracts to encrypt and decrypt data only when specific events occur, ensuring that personal information is protected unless access is granted for public safety purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If camera systems capture personal data in public environments for public safety, then public safety monitoring capability is improved, but personal privacy protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and separates personally identifiable information (PII) from captured images using automated recognition technology. The system identifies PII such as faces and license plates, extracts them from the original images, and stores them separately in encrypted form on the blockchain, while the processed images with PII removed are stored publicly. This extraction principle resolves the contradiction by removing the harmful PII elements while preserving the useful public safety monitoring data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the data storage into multiple layers: encrypted PII stored on blockchain nodes, processed images without PII stored publicly, and decryption keys managed separately. This segmentation allows different parts of the data to serve different purposes - public safety monitoring while protecting personal privacy - thereby resolving the contradiction between monitoring capability and privacy protection.
2Ease of operation
If captured data is stored publicly on blockchain for transparency and access, then data accessibility is improved, but data security and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by storing different types of data with different security characteristics in the same blockchain system. Encrypted PII is stored with high security measures, while processed images without PII are stored with public accessibility. The blockchain structure allows each data element to have its own access control and security properties, resolving the contradiction between accessibility and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary encryption of PII before storing it on the blockchain, and pre-processes images to remove PII before public storage. This preliminary action ensures that data is secured before becoming accessible, preventing security risks while maintaining accessibility. The encryption and processing occur in advance, so the data is ready for both public access and security requirements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If personal data is encrypted and stored on blockchain for privacy protection, then privacy protection is improved, but data retrieval and processing efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic access control where encrypted PII on the blockchain can be decrypted and accessed when specific conditions are met, such as authorization from relevant parties or detection of relevant events. The system dynamically switches between encrypted storage for privacy protection and decrypted access for efficient processing when needed, resolving the contradiction between privacy protection and retrieval efficiency.
4Reliability
If all captured data is made accessible for public safety purposes, then public safety response capability is improved, but personal information exposure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the blockchain smart contract system - that mediates between public safety needs and privacy protection. The smart contracts automatically manage decryption and data access based on predefined rules and conditions, allowing public safety authorities to access necessary information while preventing unauthorized exposure of personal information. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by providing controlled access rather than full exposure.
Data Source
AI summary
An example operation may include one or more of storing encrypted IoT data as transactions in a blockchain, the IoT data being captured by one or more edge devices of an IoT network, receiving an identification of an event, and in response, retrieving encrypted IoT transaction data stored in the blockchain which is associated with the event, decrypting, via a blockchain node, the retrieved IoT transaction data associated with the event and generating anonymized data of the event from the decrypted IoT transaction data in which personally identifiable information is anonymized, and outputting information concerning the anonymized data of the event to one or more of a user device and a display device.