Blockchain wallets determine the de facto way for a user to interact directly with their dedicated data on the ledger. In principle, wallets provide a layer of specified data access as defined with regards to the corresponding functionalities that should be offered to the users that log in. However, in permissioned networks, data access is determined by the corresponding tools made available to the interested users who owe to adopt and utilize in every case of network design and deployment. In Pledger, the research direction towards standardizing the data access with strong confidentiality features, presents a private-access wallet that enables confidential data access to trusted users.
The Pledger Wallet is provided to trusted users participating in respective project scenarios that involve blockchain interaction and on-chain data access. For instance, through the Pledger Wallet, a trusted user is authorized to check their on-chain balance in the context of an SLA they participate. Additionally, in the corresponding use case scenarios, the trusted user is granted access to the specific data area that is stored on-chain for the dedicated case, and is able to perform range queries on the respective informational data.
All the aforementioned functionality is provided through the user wallet and is depicted below.
Pledger Wallet backs the user interactions with the dedicated blockchain operations that are deployed on the permissioned network, such as smart contracts, transactions, and DApps. Through the Wallet UI, a browser add-on formulated in order to act as the user interface, the trusted user accesses the dedicated ledger data in a user-friendly way. The user enters the dedicated login information of asymmetric cryptography provided to them and logs in.
On-chain confidentiality of the data is ensured through the management of different private-access environments on-chain and through the wallet protected API. The private-access functionality deploys as an organized structure on the ledger by separating the access capabilities with respect to the cryptographic material of the users. Thus, the blockchain network hosts dissimilar informational data while the trusted users access only the dedicated part of it accordingly. For instance, the figures below depict the different scenarios supported by the Pledger Wallet that redirect a trusted user once logged in to their option of on-chain data access according to their login information.
Moreover, in order for the confidential data access to be properly organized and utilized on the wallet level, the user management service and the protected API comprise important functionalities for the wallet. The user management is responsible for handling the addition and validation of users on the blockchain. The service generates the necessary cryptographic material for newly created users in order to be able to verify the trusted users that are trying to log into their wallet. User management follows signature rules to verify the identity of a user and the validity of their credentials. The user management service is accessible only by authorized users that participate to the network. Finally, a dedicated and protected API is built in order for trusted users to be able to interact with the wallets. The protected API provides its dedicated endpoints to the authorized users once logged in and connects them to the available smart contracts and DApps.
In order for the project scenarios to be valid, the following actions are allowed for the logged in users through the protected API:
- Get the balance of a user based on the associated SLA configuration – In the SLA configuration case, the users need to be able to view their balance.
- Get information about related vulnerable road user incidents in a specific time range – Users can access the number of incidents that occurred in the time range they select.
- Get information about parts quality degrees in a specific time range – Users can get the number of parts manufactured quality in the time range they select.
Enabling confidential data access to trusted users through project-specific and private-access wallets constitutes an important outcome of the Pledger research on permissioned networks. The scientific area around the coordination of private environment management and access through a single application, as is the browser add-on of the wallet, presents certain interest in the specific ways that data and access handling occur. Blockchain decentralization and its usability are empowered when different levels of confidentiality are possible within the same blockchain network, while the future of distributed on-chain privacy is here.
