Empowering Owners with Control in Digital Data Markets

We propose an approach for allowing data owners to trade their data in digital data market scenarios, while keeping control over them. Our solution is based on a combination of selective encryption and smart contracts deployed on a blockchain, and ensures that only authorized users who paid an agreed amount can access a data item. We propose a safe interaction protocol for regulating the interplay between a data owner and subjects wishing to purchase (a subset of) her data, and an audit process for counteracting possible misbehaviors by any of the interacting parties. Our solution aims to make a step towards the realization of data market platforms where owners can benefit from trading their data while maintaining control.