Data Privacy Versus Transparency on the Blockchain (facilitated by Silke Noa Elrifai, University Paris II, CNRS/CERSA)

Although blockchains can enable both transparency and privacy, these principles may come into conflict. On the one hand, the fact that information stored on the blockchain is immutable and transparent may put the technology in conflict with contemporary digital privacy laws that purport to protect users’ personal information. At the same time, efforts to protect user privacy on the blockchain, through mixers, zero-knowledge proofs, and other methods for obscuring identity, may reduce the transparency required by law enforcement to mitigate illicit activity.

This session will explore the intersection between privacy and transparency on the blockchain and consider, among other things, whether blockchain technology can meet the requirements of contemporary digital privacy laws while still preserving the attributes that make it successful, as well as best practices for balancing the transparency required by law enforcement with users’ legitimate interest in transactional privacy