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Article
Publication date: 13 February 2019

Darra Hofman, Victoria Louise Lemieux, Alysha Joo and Danielle Alves Batista

This paper aims to explore a paradoxical situation, asking whether it is possible to reconcile the immutable ledger known as blockchain with the requirements of the General Data…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore a paradoxical situation, asking whether it is possible to reconcile the immutable ledger known as blockchain with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), and more broadly privacy and data protection.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper combines doctrinal legal research examining the GDPR’s application and scope with case studies examining blockchain solutions from an archival theoretic perspective to answer several questions, including: What risks are blockchain solutions said to impose (or mitigate) for organizations dealing with data that is subject to the GDPR? What are the relationships between the GDPR principles and the principles of archival theory? How can these two sets of principles be aligned within a particular blockchain solution? How can archival principles be applied to blockchain solutions so that they support GDPR compliance?

Findings

This work will offer an initial exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of blockchain solutions for GDPR compliant information governance. It will present the disjunctures between GDPR requirements and some current blockchain solution designs and implementations, as well as discussing how solutions may be designed and implemented to support compliance. Immutability of information recorded on a blockchain is a differentiating positive feature of blockchain technology from the perspective of trusted exchanges of value (e.g. cryptocurrencies) but potentially places organizations at risk of non-compliance with GDPR if personally identifiable information cannot be removed. This work will aid understanding of how blockchain solutions should be designed to ensure compliance with GDPR, which could have significant practical implications for organizations looking to leverage the strengths of blockchain technology to meet their needs and strategic goals.

Research limitations/implications

Some aspects of the social layer of blockchain solutions, such as law and business procedures, are also well understood. Much less well understood is the data layer, and how it serves as an interface between the social and the technical in a sociotechnical system like blockchain. In addition to a need for more research about the data/records layer of blockchains and compliance, there is a need for more information governance professionals who can provide input on this layer, both to their organizations and other stakeholders.

Practical implications

Managing personal data will continue to be one of the most challenging, fraught issues for information governance moving forward; given the fairly broad scope of the GDPR, many organizations, including those outside of the EU, will have to manage personal data in compliance with the GDPR. Blockchain technology could play an important role in ensuring organizations have easily auditable, tamper-resistant, tamper-evident records to meet broader organizational needs and to comply with the GDPR.

Social implications

Because the GDPR professes to be technology-neutral, understanding its application to novel technologies such as blockchain provides an important window into the broader context of compliance in evolving information governance spaces.

Originality/value

The specific question of how GDPR will apply to blockchain information governance solutions is almost entirely novel. It has significance to the design and implementation of blockchain solutions for recordkeeping. It also provides insight into how well “technology-neutral” laws and regulations actually work when confronted with novel technologies and applications. This research will build upon significant bodies of work in both law and archival science to further understand information governance and compliance as we are shifting into the new GDPR world.

Details

Records Management Journal, vol. 29 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-5698

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 July 2016

Victoria Louise Lemieux

The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of Blockchain technology as a solution to creating and preserving trustworthy digital records, presenting some of the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the value of Blockchain technology as a solution to creating and preserving trustworthy digital records, presenting some of the limitations, risks and opportunities of the approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodological approach involves using the requirements embedded in records management and digital preservation standards, specifically ISO 15,489, ARMA’s Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles, ISO 14,721 and ISO 16,363, as a general evaluative framework for a risk-based assessment of a specific proposed implementation of Blockchain technology for a land registry system in a developing country.

Findings

The results of the analysis suggest that Blockchain technology can be used to address issues associated with information integrity in the present and near term, assuming proper security architecture and infrastructure management controls. It does not, however, guarantee reliability of information in the first place, and would have several limitations as a long-term solution for maintaining trustworthy digital records.

Originality/value

This paper contributes an original analysis of the application of Blockchain technology for recordkeeping.

Details

Records Management Journal, vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-5698

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 July 2014

Victoria Louise Lemieux, Brianna Gormly and Lyse Rowledge

This paper aims to explore the role of records management in supporting the effective use of information visualisation and visual analytics (VA) to meet the challenges associated…

5936

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the role of records management in supporting the effective use of information visualisation and visual analytics (VA) to meet the challenges associated with the analysis of Big Data.

Design/methodology/approach

This exploratory research entailed conducting and analysing interviews with a convenience sample of visual analysts and VA tool developers, affiliated with a major VA institute, to gain a deeper understanding of data-related issues that constrain or prevent effective visual analysis of large data sets or the use of VA tools, and analysing key emergent themes related to data challenges to map them to records management controls that may be used to address them.

Findings

The authors identify key data-related issues that constrain or prevent effective visual analysis of large data sets or the use of VA tools, and identify records management controls that may be used to address these data-related issues.

Originality/value

This paper discusses a relatively new field, VA, which has emerged in response to meeting the challenge of analysing big, open data. It contributes a small exploratory research study aimed at helping records professionals understand the data challenges faced by visual analysts and, by extension, data scientists for the analysis of large and heterogeneous data sets. It further aims to help records professionals identify how records management controls may be used to address data issues in the context of VA.

Details

Records Management Journal, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0956-5698

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 May 2013

Ling Chen, Sen Wang, Klaus McDonald‐Maier and Huosheng Hu

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate two key elements of localization and mapping of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), i.e. to overview various sensors and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate two key elements of localization and mapping of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), i.e. to overview various sensors and algorithms used for underwater localization and mapping, and to make suggestions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first review various sensors and algorithms used for AUVs in the terms of basic working principle, characters, their advantages and disadvantages. The statistical analysis is carried out by studying 35 AUV platforms according to the application circumstances of sensors and algorithms.

Findings

As real‐world applications have different requirements and specifications, it is necessary to select the most appropriate one by balancing various factors such as accuracy, cost, size, etc. Although highly accurate localization and mapping in an underwater environment is very difficult, more and more accurate and robust navigation solutions will be achieved with the development of both sensors and algorithms.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides an overview of the state of art underwater localisation and mapping algorithms and systems. No experiments are conducted for verification.

Practical implications

The paper will give readers a clear guideline to find suitable underwater localisation and mapping algorithms and systems for their practical applications in hand.

Social implications

There is a wide range of audiences who will benefit from reading this comprehensive survey of autonomous localisation and mapping of UAVs.

Originality/value

The paper will provide useful information and suggestions to research students, engineers and scientists who work in the field of autonomous underwater vehicles.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, vol. 1 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-6427

Keywords

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