Using Blockchain to Secure Digital Identity and Privacy Across Digital Sectors

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34190/iccws.19.1.2041

Keywords:

Digital Identity, Blockchain, Data Protection, privacy security, data breaches, Privacy, Digital Privacy

Abstract

In the digital age digital data has been seen as the new currency for both companies and bad actors,
leading to mismanagement of personal data by both entities. This mismanagement could lead to personal data
being breached while this may prove to be beneficial to certain entities, this however is not the case for users
and digital citizens. In recent years there has been an influx in data breaches and data mismanagement cases
throughout various industries, including corporations such as Apple and Facebook, involving critical data
relating to user's digital identities, personal data, and other identifiable information. This issue may be
addressed by employing the use of blockchain technology, a technology that has been recognized as a secure
system promoting security and privacy, we can prevent this mismanagement of data and data breaches from
happening. While blockchain is a relatively new technology, there is potential to use it in the current age of the
internet and digital identities by employing blockchain technology to secure one’s digital identity. This research
aims to propose a potential solution to the issue of data protection and data breaches by proposing and
making use of a conceptual model which makes use of a multi-level blockchain system. The system isolates
data from digital identities between various digital platforms to minimize the amount of data breaches that
may occur – further minimizing the amount of personal data which may be breached. This system allows the
user to have full control over who may access their private data, while preventing bad actors from accessing
the data without the user’s authorization. The multi-level blockchain splits the user's data according to
industrial or digital sector in which their data is used, with a master blockchain acting as the connecting link to
a person's digital identity. Making use of this multi-level blockchain allows for the user to control who has
access to their data, while remaining anonymous and secure in a digital platform‘s database or digital storage.

Author Biographies

Jaynill Gopal, University of Pretoria

Mr Jaynill Gopal is a Master’s Student at the University of Pretoria, ZA. He received his Backelor’s degree in 2020, followed by his Honour’s degree in 2022 in Computer Science from the same university. His research interest areas are in cyber security and privacy within the digital space.

Stacey Omeleze-Baror, University of Pretoria

Stacey Omeleze Baror is a lecturer at the Computer Science Dept., University of Pretoria. She completed her BSc Hons and master’s degree in computer science, at the University of Pretoria in Digital Forensics application to proactive crime reduction in South Africa and in the process of completing her a PhD on developing a digital forensic cybercrime language as a service (DFClaaS). She is an active member of Information and Digital Forensic Science (DigiForS) Research group, and her research interest spans around Cyber & Information Security, Digital forensics, Mobile Forensics, Software Engineering, Architecture, and Intelligent cybercrime detection and implementation of digital forensic algorithms. Stacey Omeleze Baror is a lecturer at the Computer Science Dept., University of Pretoria. She completed her BSc Hons and master’s degree in computer science, at the University of Pretoria in Digital Forensics application to proactive crime reduction in South Africa and in the process of completing her a PhD on developing a digital forensic cybercrime language as a service (DFClaaS). She is an active member of Information and Digital Forensic Science (DigiForS)Research group, and her research interest spans around Cyber & Information Security, Digital forensics, Mobile Forensics, Software Engineering, Architecture, and Intelligent cybercrime detection and implementation of digital forensic algorithms.

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Published

2024-03-21

Issue

Vol. 19 No. 1 (2024): Proceedings of The 19th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security

Section

Masters Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Jaynill Gopal, Stacey Omeleze-Baror

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.