Abstract
Blockchain is a technology that allows information or value to be transferred over the Internet on a peer-to-peer network without intermediaries and without the use of a trusted third party. This technology is being used to develop services in various sectors such as finance, logistics, and health care. Regarding digital public services, in particular those provided by postal operators (POs), we consider blockchain to be an opportunity. Because of its unique characteristics (traceability, immutability, transparency, and decentralization), it is a way to efficiently redesign these services.However, the different blockchain applications raise issues related to the legal framework in place, at the French and European level, and even at the internationl level. Thus, several regulatory issues must now be taken into account for an efficient use of blockchain.
This paper represents the personal views of the authors and should not be taken to represent the position of La Poste.
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Notes
- 1.
Even if the transparency of the data exchanged between users of a blockchain may be limited by cryptographic functions.
- 2.
Smart contracts are tools to automatically execute actions when the necessary, preset conditions have been met.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
Archipels is a project in the process of being notified to the relevant competition authorities.
- 6.
Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
- 7.
“Controller” means the natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data; where the purposes and means of such processing are determined by Union or Member State law, the controller or the specific criteria for its nomination may be provided for by Union or Member State law (Article 4 of the GDPR).
- 8.
“Processor” means a natural or legal person, public authority, agency, or other body which processes personal data on behalf of the controller (Article 4 of the GDPR).
- 9.
In its report CNIL states: “Aware of certain practical difficulties that may arise from the qualification of minors as processors in the public blockchain (in particular with regard to the obligation to contract relations with the controller), the CNIL is currently conducting an in-depth study on this issue.”
- 10.
Regulation (EU) No. 910/2014 of 23 July 2014 on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market.
- 11.
Article 17 of eIDAS.
- 12.
Article 2 of eIDAS.
- 13.
Article 15 of GDPR.
- 14.
Article 17 of GDPR.
- 15.
According to note n°4 “Comprendre les blockchains (chaînes de blocs)” (April 2018), the “Office parlementaire d’évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques” specified that, in the blockchain, “each block has an identifier that takes the form of a “hash” to connect the blocks to each other. In computing, “hashing” makes it possible to convert any set of digital data into a hash, i.e. a short binary sequence of its own. The encryption algorithm used for this purpose is called the cryptographic hash function” [unofficial translation].
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Eggrickx, B., Lefort, M., Roset, A. (2020). Blockchain and Postal Digital Services: Opportunities and Drawbacks. In: Parcu, P.L., Brennan, T.J., Glass, V. (eds) The Changing Postal Environment. Topics in Regulatory Economics and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34532-7_12
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