What are the applications of blockchain for GDPR? This report from The European Union Blockchain Observatory and Forum  highlights that  GDPR compliance is not about the technology, it is about how the technology is used.  Blockchain technology could play a huge role in compliance and in keeping people’s data protected.

However, the report recognises that blockchain for GDPR can actually hold more issues and tensions than it does resolutions. Three key issues are identified throughout the report, made up of:

• The identifcation and obligations of data controllers and processors. There can be cases when it’s impossible to identify a data controller, particularly when blockchain transactions are written by the data subjects themselves.
•  The anonymisation of personal data. There are intense debates, and currently no consensus, on what it takes to anonymise personal data to the point where the resulting output can potentially be stored in a blockchain network.
• The exercise of some data subject rights. If personal data is recorded in a blockchain network, it may be diffcult to rectify or remove it.

Protecting personal data has long been an important policy goal in the European Union, so much so that it is enshrined in the EU charter of fundamental rights. When it comes to blockchain for GDPR, the technology can offer data-keepers many opportunities, but they must be aware of compliance issues.

By specifying how personal data is to be protected, the GDPR will play a fundamental role in shaping digital markets in the union. Considering its strong support of this nascent technology, the European Union clearly believes that blockchain technology has an equally important role in multiple industries, offering new paradigms for the ways we transact and interact with each other.

Want to find out more? Download this report!