<p>Blockchain is not designed for use in communication/secure storage. It is ideal for proving the existence of a digital resource at a point in time. Therefore it is not supporting the exchange of encrypted data or its key.</p>
<p>However, if you want to prove that you are holding a digital copy of some file you can post the hash of that file as metadata in the blockchain. Say after 10 years if someone denies that you had access to the document you can prove them wrong (Proof of existence).  Proof of ownership of an asset and proof of the existence of an asset is the primary service of the blockchain.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-09-06T11:41:25.437Z
2021-09-06T11:41:25.437Z
raghu
<p>Original question:
Where is confidential data held and how is access to it controlled?
response:
It depends on the context, but if you include metadata in a transaction, those metadata will be publicly available. However, you can always encrypt your metadata. When you encrypt metadata and attach it to a UTXO, whoever else has the secret key to decrypt those metadata will be able to read decipher it, but nobody else will be able to.</p>
<p>Additional questions related to above:
For holding confidential data: I see how encrypting data on chain can keep it confidential for some years until the crypto is broken and maybe that’s OK for some data and expectations of confidentiality. Quorum (when last I spoke to them) don’t put encrypted data on chain since they share my assumption that crypto works for a limited time. How would access to the secret key you mention be tied to UTXO? I don’t see that linkage</p>

<blockchain>
Data and metadata protection
# Data and metadata protection

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-09-06)

Original question:
Where is confidential data held and how is access to it controlled?
response:
It depends on the context, but if you include metadata in a transaction, those metadata will be publicly available. However, you can always encrypt your metadata. When you encrypt metadata and attach it to a UTXO, whoever else has the secret key to decrypt those metadata will be able to read decipher it, but nobody else will be able to.

Additional questions related to above:
For holding confidential data: I see how encrypting data on chain can keep it confidential for some years until the crypto is broken and maybe that’s OK for some data and expectations of confidentiality. Quorum (when last I spoke to them) don’t put encrypted data on chain since they share my assumption that crypto works for a limited time. How would access to the secret key you mention be tied to UTXO? I don’t see that linkage

**Tags:** blockchain

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-09-06. Score: 0

Blockchain is not designed for use in communication/secure storage. It is ideal for proving the existence of a digital resource at a point in time. Therefore it is not supporting the exchange of encrypted data or its key.

However, if you want to prove that you are holding a digital copy of some file you can post the hash of that file as metadata in the blockchain. Say after 10 years if someone denies that you had access to the document you can prove them wrong (Proof of existence). Proof of ownership of an asset and proof of the existence of an asset is the primary service of the blockchain.


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