Standardisation of Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies—A Legal Voice from the Data Protection Law Perspective

Abstract

Blockchain has led to a new way of storing data and guaranteeing data integrity and transparency. However, tensions still remain between blockchain and the current legal system, especially data protection law. This paper chooses the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union to identify how blockchain can be compatible with the principles of modern data protection law and if blockchain can also be a way through which to achieve legal objectives. Finally, this paper proposes standardisation as a way to mitigate blockchain’s drawbacks and to leverage its advantages.