Metadata-Driven Blockchain Access for Right-to-Be-Forgotten Data
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing DLT and blockchain technologies store data in a fixed, immutable, and static manner, lacking context and metadata, making data transformation difficult and resource-intensive, and require rewriting entire records for updates, leading to inefficient data retrieval and unsustainability, while also allowing unrestricted access to network nodes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a metadata-driven blockchain platform using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) with a cloud-based computing environment, incorporating a blockchain metadata definition manager to define and transact metadata onto the blockchain, enabling dynamic access controls and a 'right to forget' function through consensus on read processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored on a public blockchain, then transparency and immutability are improved, but the ability to delete or modify data (right to be forgotten) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into multiple shares using secret sharing schemes (e.g., Shamir's Secret Sharing), distributing them across different blockchain nodes. No single node holds the complete data, enabling controlled reconstruction only with proper authorization while maintaining blockchain immutability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces trusted intermediaries or authorized entities that control the reconstruction of secret-shared data. These intermediaries act as mediators between data storage and retrieval, enabling selective data access or deletion through coordinated reconstruction only when authorized, thus resolving the conflict between immutability and deletion rights.
2Reliability
If data is distributed across multiple nodes, then system reliability and security are improved, but data access speed and coordination efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary secret sharing and distributes data shares to nodes in advance. When data access is needed, the system only requires coordination for reconstruction rather than transferring entire datasets, significantly improving access speed while maintaining distributed reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial data reconstruction by gathering only the necessary number of shares (k out of n) required to reconstruct the original data, rather than requiring all nodes to participate. This reduces coordination overhead and improves access speed while maintaining security through the threshold mechanism.
3Reliability
If consensus mechanisms are used for data modification, then data integrity is improved, but transaction processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the consensus requirement from individual data modification operations and applies it only to critical metadata changes or secret sharing parameter updates. Most data operations can proceed with simpler verification mechanisms, reducing processing time while maintaining integrity for essential system state changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the consensus parameter requirements based on the type of operation being performed. Different threshold levels and consensus mechanisms are applied depending on whether the operation involves secret sharing, data reconstruction, or metadata updates, optimizing processing time while maintaining appropriate integrity guarantees for each operation type.
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A method performed by a system of a host organization for providing a right to forget data in a blockchain, the system providing a blockchain interface to a blockchain on behalf of a plurality of tenants of the host organization each serving as nodes in a blockchain network. The method includes receiving a request including an identifier of a requestor, the request to access transaction data designated as private, requesting access to the transaction data from nodes in the blockchain network including the identifier of the requestor, receiving at least one shared secret from a node in the blockchain network indicating consensus to access the transaction data by the requestor, and denying access to the transaction data in response to receiving insufficient shared secrets from the nodes indicating the transaction data is permanently unavailable to access.