Blockchain technology gained popularity thanks to its decentralized and
transparent features. However, it suffers from a lack of privacy as it
stores data publicly and has difficulty to handle data updates due to its
main feature known as immutability. In this paper, we propose a
decentralized data storage and access framework that combines blockchain
technology with Distributed Hash Table (DHT), a role-based access control
model, and multiple encryption mechanisms. Our framework stores metadata and
DHT keys on the blockchain, while encrypted data is managed on the DHT,
which enables data owners to control their data. It allows authorized actors
to store and read their data in a decentralized storage system. We design
REST APIs to ensure interoperability over the Web. Concerning data updates,
we propose a pointer system that allows data owners to access their update
history, which solves the issue of data updates while preserving the
benefits of using the blockchain. We illustrate our solution with a wood
supply chain use case and propose a traceability algorithm that allows the
actors of the wood supply chain to trace the data and verify product
origin. Our framework design allows authorized users to access the data and
protects data against linking, eavesdropping, spoofing, and modification
attacks. Moreover, we provide a proof of-concept implementation, security
and privacy analysis, and evaluation for time consumption and scalability.
The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility, security, privacy, and
scalability of the proposed solution.