Blockchain and Big Data: Exploring Convergence for Privacy, Security and Accountability

Abstract

Big data and blockchain represent two highly disruptive technologies of the digital age that hold tremendous potential for driving innovation and progress across industries, government, and society. However, both also face major challenges around security, privacy, provenance, and governance. Big data enables invaluable insights, but centralized aggregation of massive, sensitive datasets creates targets for data breaches, hidden misuse, and other ethical concerns. Blockchain establishes decentralized, transparent integrity but faces issues of complexity, scalability, and adoption. This research explores the convergence of big data and blockchain innovations as a strategic approach to overcoming their respective challenges while unlocking greater collective value.  Technical architectures for integration including blockchain metadata anchoring big data, big data analytics connecting to blockchain data, and fully integrated blockchain-big data platforms are analyzed. Real-world implementation examples across healthcare, banking, supply chain and other sectors showcase growing adoption to improve data privacy, trust and accountability. At the same time, advantages of the convergence around security, integrity, ownership control, trust and new opportunities like data marketplaces are weighed against current limitations like scalability, complexity, latency, standards, and compliance. Overall, blockchain enables big data ethics, while big data provides blockchain analytics. This symbiotic potential indicates continued acceleration of blockchain-big data fusion, although thoughtful evolution is required. As stewards of ever-growing data, both individuals and institutions can benefit from this technological convergence, enhancing security and privacy without sacrificing insights. This article provides a comprehensive reference on the cutting-edge landscape of blockchain and big data convergence.