A blockchain empowered and privacy preserving digital contact tracing platform

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Blockchain Technology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The rapid spread of COVID-19 overwhelms healthcare systems and necessitates efficient transmission prevention.
• Manual contact tracing methods are insufficient to contain the swift global dissemination of the virus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present Connect, a novel blockchain-empowered digital contact tracing platform.
• To enhance COVID-19 containment strategies through privacy-preserving technology and targeted recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a blockchain platform with Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) for secure storage of digital identities and user activity traces.
• Implementing a system to leverage positive case data for proximity notifications and targeted public health recommendations.
• Ensuring data immutability and traceability by storing records on a decentralized blockchain.

Main Results:

• Connect provides a privacy-preserving method for identifying potential COVID-19 infections through user activity tracing.
• The platform aims to reduce virus transmission rates by notifying individuals in close proximity to positive cases.
• Decentralized storage on blockchain addresses limitations of centralized cloud-based systems, enhancing data security and immutability.

Conclusions:

• Connect offers a scalable and secure solution for digital contact tracing, crucial for managing infectious disease outbreaks.
• Widespread adoption of the platform can significantly mitigate COVID-19 spread, reducing the need for extensive lockdowns.
• The integration of blockchain and SSI technology in Connect enhances data privacy and system integrity for public health initiatives.