Blockchain Data Provenance via Smart Contract Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional computing systems lack a computationally verifiable mechanism to ensure the proper collection, usage, and provenance of data, particularly for sensitive information, making it difficult to determine the origin and permissions associated with data shared among parties.
Innovation Solution
Securing data to immutable distributed ledgers using blockchain methodologies, where smart contracts and digital signatures are used to validate and log data sets, ensuring legal and ethical usage, and maintaining a transparent record of data transactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If data is shared among multiple parties without a verification mechanism, then data dissemination is rapid and widespread, but the ability to verify data provenance and usage permissions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by creating cryptographic hashes of data and embedding provenance information before data is shared. This allows verification to be built into the data structure in advance, enabling rapid sharing while maintaining verification capability through pre-established cryptographic links to origin and permissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cryptographic hash functions and blockchain ledgers as intermediary mechanisms. These intermediaries transform data into verifiable forms without slowing dissemination, as the verification happens through automated cryptographic checks rather than manual review, maintaining speed while enabling provenance tracking.
2Ease of operation
If conventional systems are used for data sharing, then ease of operation is maintained, but the ability to provide computationally verifiable provenance is absent
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges conventional data sharing operations with cryptographic verification by embedding hash values and provenance metadata directly into the data structure. This combination allows standard sharing protocols to continue while automatically attaching verification information, preventing loss of provenance without complicating the sharing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service verification where the data itself carries its own cryptographic proof of provenance. The embedded hashes and blockchain references enable automatic verification without requiring external validation services, maintaining ease of operation while preserving provenance information through self-contained verification data.
3Reliability
If data is encrypted with multiple public keys for security, then data protection is improved, but the complexity of key management increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the encryption approach by using different cryptographic mechanisms for different purposes: public key encryption for data protection and cryptographic hashing for provenance verification. This segmentation allows strong security through multiple keys while managing complexity by separating verification functions into distinct cryptographic operations with clear roles.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed computer-implemented method for securing data on blockchains may include receiving a smart contract from a third-party for a designated party and a data set, transmitting, to a network of nodes, a request to add the smart contract and the data set to an immutable distributed ledger, receiving a digital signature from the third-party, receiving a digital signature from the designated party, validating the smart contract, the digital signature from the third-party, and the digital signature from the designated party, and in response to validating the smart contract, the digital signature from the third-party and the digital signature from the designated party, adding the smart contract and the data set to the immutable distributed ledger. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.