User-Controlled Data Sharing via Smart Contracts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data sharing systems lack user control over personal data collection and usage, with service providers often collecting and sharing user data without consent, making it difficult for users to manage their privacy and for law enforcement to detect privacy violations.
Innovation Solution
A data sharing system utilizing a data broker that enables users to collect, encrypt, and manage their personal data, with smart contracts governing data access and usage, allowing users to control who accesses their data and how it is used, while recording data usage in a distributed ledger for transparency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If service providers collect and share user data without consent, then data availability for service improvement increases, but user privacy security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a data broker as an intermediary between users and service providers. The data broker manages user data through smart contracts, enabling controlled sharing while maintaining user consent and privacy. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by facilitating data availability only when users authorize it, preventing unauthorized access while enabling legitimate data usage for service improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameters of data sharing from provider-dominated to user-controlled through smart contracts. Users can dynamically adjust consent parameters, specifying which data to share, with whom, and under what conditions. This parameter change enables data availability when consented while automatically preventing unauthorized access, resolving the privacy security issue.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If users have full control over their data sharing, then privacy security improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universal smart contracts that handle multiple data sharing scenarios through a single standardized mechanism. The same smart contract framework manages diverse data types (personal information, transaction data, location data) and various sharing conditions, reducing system complexity despite comprehensive user control. This multi-functionality allows users to maintain privacy security without facing overly complex system interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart contract system enables self-service data management where users automatically enforce their own privacy preferences without manual intervention. Once users configure their data sharing preferences in the smart contract, the system automatically executes consent verification and data access control, reducing the operational complexity of maintaining privacy security while giving users full control.
3Reliability
If data sharing is transparent and user-consented, then user trust increases, but data access efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary consent collection where users authorize data sharing preferences in advance through smart contracts before any data access occurs. This preliminary action establishes trust by obtaining user consent upfront, while the pre-configured smart contracts automatically handle subsequent data access requests without requiring repeated consent verification, thereby maintaining both user trust and data access efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart contract system provides automated feedback to service providers about user consent status and data access permissions. This feedback mechanism maintains user trust by ensuring only authorized data access occurs, while the automated nature of the feedback (rather than manual verification) preserves data access efficiency. The system continuously monitors and reports compliance with user preferences without bottlenecking data operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage media for data sharing. In example embodiments, a method for data sharing is provided. The method comprises, in response to receiving a first request to share data of a user from a data sharing agent, creating a data sharing smart contract for the user. The method further comprises publishing the data sharing smart contract to one or more data consumers. The method further comprises, in response to receiving a second request to access the data from a data consumer, generating, by executing the data sharing smart contract, an indication that the data consumer is authorized to access the data. In addition, the method further comprises sending the indication to the data consumer. In this way, end users are enabled to manage and share their personal data by themselves.