Blockchain applications

Blockchain is one of the trending emerging technologies that enables immutable data storage over distributed ledgers. The fundamental features of blockchain technology, such as record and identity traceability and immutability makes it an attractive alternative for the state-of-the-art information systems. Thus, blockchain has found its way into various fields. In Iran, blockchain technology has been employed in different areas including: commercial mining platforms, secure exchange platforms, and innovative trustless projects. One of the main applications of blockchain is secure management of sensitive information, which makes it a suitable infrastructure for providing advanced control over data in police task forces. The motivation behind this research is to provide a conceptual framework for employing blockchain in law enforcement organizations by analysis and comparison of best practices in other countries and academic case-studies. We provide a systematic overview of case-studies by qualitative content analysis. Moreover, the reliability of our statistics is evaluated by Cohen's kappa coefficient roughly 0.64. Finally, the prioritized applications were evaluated by a 14 member experts panel through fuzzy Delphi method with a Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance of W=0.711, indicating high rates of agreement among members. To this end, “trustless authentication systems”, “distributed data/resource/information management”, and “inter-department integrated information systems” were selected as most valuable applications of blockchain for police task forces and law enforcement agencies in Iran.

The blockchain's immutability has allowed previously centralized operations to operate in a new way. The possibility of applications having a new architecture is given thanks to the innovative properties of the technology, which brought alternative control designs for distributed systems and allowed applications to work without the need for a central controlling point. The expansion of blockchain to other areas beyond cryptocurrencies has shown the need for applications to implement solutions to deal with corrective operations. Blockchain 3.0 applications bring new solutions for business needs. However,  as opposed to immutability, the revoking functionality is much more complex to be implemented in this type of architecture, but paramount to applications resilience, allowing faulty or invalid information to be revoked, ensuring thus that the blockchain can still be trusted. This work assesses and discusses revocation mechanisms to contribute to the technical feasibility of several applications, which require corrective operations. We present a model in the academic area, which can be replicated for other types of systems in other areas.

This study investigates the potential of blockchain technology to support compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By integrating blockchain's core features, such as transparency, immutability, and data encryption, with GDPR principles like data minimization and accuracy, the research develops a comprehensive applicability model. This model serves as a Reference Framework for evaluating blockchain systems' alignment with GDPR requirements. The study employs a meta-synthesis method and qualitative content analysis of 67 articles, culminating in a detailed examination of 31 selected articles. The findings reveal that blockchain technology can significantly enhance GDPR compliance, particularly in securing personal data and ensuring transparency. Importantly, the research introduces a novel model validated by a panel of 13 experts, which identifies and prioritizes key areas where blockchain can effectively support GDPR requirements. This model provides valuable insights for policymakers, industry leaders, and technology developers, emphasizing blockchain's strategic role in enhancing data protection under GDPR.