Privacy Preserving Contact Tracing using Ethereum Blockchain Network

Abstract

Contact tracing is a critical tool for restricting the transmission of any infectious disease. This basic mechanism aids in identifying and breaking the chain of transmission by separating a healthy person from an infected person. Different nations and health institutions use various contact tracing methods to identify the transmission network and control the outbreak. However, the users face severe security and privacy risks, including storing the history of their locations, personal and device information. Subsequently, this personalized information could be utilized by a cyber-attacker for malicious purposes. In this study, the privacy and security risks of contact tracing technologies are identified, and a potential secure solution is proposed based on the blockchain network. The developed model is a decentralized application (or D-App) implemented using Ethereum smart contracts. The Bluetooth technology is used to identify contacts, and their data gets stored in the blockchain. This decentralization approach of D-App makes it an ideal framework for developing contact tracing applications.