Sharing of Research Data by Blockchain

Abstract

This study investigates the new method of sharing research data by a blockchain. We focus on the sharing not only among researchers but also between a group of researchers and test subjects from whom researchers collect data. To explain the use of blockchain technology, we explain the use of blockchain in securely handling research data in comparison with a simple real-world use case. IntroductionDate sharing is one important issue faced by researchers building data covering both human health and behaviour. By data sharing, we do not simply mean the sharing of data among researchers, which is obviously highly important for us researchers. However, more important is the sharing of data between researchers and survey subjects. The latter issue would become sensitive when we deal with serious illness from which a person wants to hide the fact that he suffers or a person who can spread to others. In Japan, there remains serious social stigma attached to certain diseases. At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, in Japan, those contracted Sars-Cov-2 were ostracized in certain traditional regions. Even if such a stigma is not attached to contraction of a disease, losing private data and misinforming subjects of wrong test results could be intolerable for test subjects. In these circumstances, there can be a strong hesitancy on the side of a data builder to inform test subjects a result of the test.