Smart Data Lease System for Offline Digital Evidence Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for securely managing and processing digital evidence, such as audio/visual recordings, face challenges in maintaining security, veracity, and control when transferring between offline and online environments, particularly in producing transcripts, due to laborious processes and the need for robust chain-of-custody protection.
Innovation Solution
A Smart Data Lease system utilizing a blockchain database for secure record-keeping, terms and conditions management, and temporary data caching, ensuring authorized access, tracking, and secure deletion, while preventing unauthorized use and maintaining confidentiality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If digital evidence is transferred to offline environments for processing, then productivity and ease of operation improve, but security and veracity control deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a smart contract as an intermediary between the online evidence management system and offline processing environment. The smart contract automatically enforces access controls, tracks usage, and manages the chain of custody without requiring constant human intervention, thus maintaining security while enabling offline processing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms where the smart contract continuously monitors and records all interactions with the digital evidence, including access events, processing actions, and transfers. This creates an immutable audit trail that provides real-time visibility into evidence status, maintaining veracity control even when evidence is processed offline.
2Ease of operation
If traditional access control methods are used for digital evidence, then ease of operation improves, but chain-of-custody protection and veracity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical access control systems (physical logs, manual sign-in sheets, human-mediated permission granting) with a blockchain-based smart contract system. This automated system programmatically enforces access policies and automatically records all interactions, eliminating manual processes while maintaining ease of use through automated workflows.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart contract system operates autonomously to manage access control and chain-of-custody tracking. It automatically verifies user permissions, grants access according to predefined policies, and records all events without requiring manual intervention from administrators, thus maintaining ease of operation while ensuring integrity.
3Device complexity
If manual processes are used for managing digital evidence, then device complexity reduces, but loss of time and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The smart contract is configured in advance with all access policies, permissions, and chain-of-custody rules before digital evidence is transferred to offline environments. This preliminary setup automates the management process, eliminating the need for manual configuration and intervention during evidence processing, thus reducing time loss while maintaining manageable complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If digital evidence is accessed by multiple consumers, then versatility and productivity improve, but maintaining veracity and security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments access permissions and controls into distinct, granular permission sets that can be assigned to different consumers based on their specific needs and roles. Each consumer receives only the minimum necessary access rights, and the smart contract enforces these segmented permissions individually, allowing versatile multi-user access while maintaining security and veracity through customized access control.
Data Source
AI summary
The system is used by both Producer and Consumer of digital evidence, which use the system to provide a secure and irrefutable record of a transaction involving the use of the digital evidence to produce new protected digital evidentiary content, e.g. transcription, according to a set of rules and limitations on the use of the digital evidence over a specific period of time which expires after a certain time. The newly create evidentiary content along with security and metadata are evaluated, and results used to confirm that the evidence has been maintained according to the terms and conditions.