I-Corps: A Technology to Tag, Track, and Publish Proprietary Data

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of software technology to safeguard the purchase and distribution of proprietary data. Many industries face problems associated with data purchasing and usage, theft and re-distribution, and security and privacy. The proposed technology is designed to meet these challenges by securing data, tracking its movement, and then publishing a use receipt to a distributed ledger once it reaches its destination. The software tags individual data packets so they can be tracked among multiple transactions, providing visibility throughout a specific data-use value chain. This method provides a level of security and control, ensuring data delivery only to certified recipients. The technology has applications in industries with challenges in data visibility and redistribution, such as financial services, healthcare, scientific data, and entertainment. This I-Corps project explores translation of a distributed ledger technology offering the potential to prevent redistribution of proprietary data in a variety of contexts while providing a blockchain-based record for transactions between data producers and consumers. The proposed technology offers a distributed ledger for use among multiple players in a transaction. A secure, immutable system for storing proprietary data on the blockchain must be developed, as well as the ability to provide both permission-only access to the data and a trusted receipt. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.