Blockchain for Student Data Privacy and Consent

Abstract

Current methods for obtaining data consent from legal guardians are limited to paper forms and human data entry. While this classic method of granting consent is familiar to the parties involved, it involves little accountability or ongoing access oversight. Parents are asked to sign multiple permission forms, but are not given an efficient manner by which they can differentiate between fields for consent nor keep track of usage. Blockchain technology represents a promising approach for developing ‘smart contracts', digital promises to be executed without reliance upon a legal intermediary. Utilizing Hyperledger Fabric and Hyperledger Composer, we propose a framework of nested authorization, allowing a public school data administrator the ability to grant authorization rights to a third party afterschool intervention program and their volunteers, who meet with parents and obtain consent for data access rights relying on smart contracts. These data consent signatures allow researchers the ability to design targeted inventions, meeting the needs of the community.