Blockchain Tokenization Tables for Privacy-Compliant Data Deletion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high immutability of blockchain data poses challenges for removing personal data to comply with privacy laws such as GDPR/CCPA, as deleting data from a blockchain disrupts its hash integrity.
Innovation Solution
Implementing tokenization tables that store blockchain data, allowing for the use of forget me managers to permanently delete or modify data by deleting encryption keys, while maintaining hash integrity through tokenization hashes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data is deleted from the blockchain to comply with privacy laws, then privacy compliance is improved, but hash integrity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments blockchain data into two parts: immutable hash references stored in the blockchain and mutable actual data stored externally in tokenization tables. This segmentation allows the blockchain to maintain its hash integrity while external storage can be modified or deleted to comply with privacy laws like GDPR's right to be forgotten.
Solution Approach 2:
Tokenization tables serve as an intermediary layer between the blockchain and actual data storage. The blockchain stores only token references (hashes) that point to external data locations, while the actual data resides in separate tokenization tables that can be deleted without affecting blockchain hash integrity. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction between immutability and data deletion requirements.
2Ease of operation
If data is permanently deleted from the blockchain, then data removal capability is improved, but blockchain immutability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the actual data from the blockchain structure and places it in external tokenization tables, keeping only immutable token references in the blockchain. This extraction allows complete data removal from external storage without touching the blockchain, thereby maintaining blockchain immutability while enabling data removal capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system moves data storage from the one-dimensional blockchain structure to a separate external dimension (tokenization tables). This dimensional separation allows independent manipulation of data storage and blockchain integrity, enabling data removal in the external dimension without affecting the blockchain's immutable structure.
3Reliability
If encryption keys are deleted to forget encrypted data, then data security is improved, but data accessibility is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a controlled discarding mechanism where encryption keys can be deleted to permanently forget encrypted data in tokenization tables. The blockchain's immutable token references serve as a recovery mechanism, allowing reconstruction of access rights through blockchain-based authorization without compromising the security of already-deleted data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses blockchain-stored tokens as feedback mechanisms that track and control access to external data. Even after encryption key deletion, the blockchain maintains a record of authorized access rights, providing a feedback loop that enables controlled data recovery or re-keying while maintaining security through the immutable audit trail.
Data Source
AI summary
A transaction block in a blockchain is generated. The transaction block in the blockchain comprises a token that points to blockchain data in a tokenization table. An event is detected (e.g., an administrative event). The event is to forget the blockchain data in the tokenization table. In response to detecting the event, the blockchain data in the tokenization table is forgotten. For example, forgetting the blockchain data may comprise permanently deleting the blockchain data in the tokenization table and/or permanently deleting an encryption key for the blockchain data in the tokenization table.