DROPS Research Project has started

At the beginning of this year, the research project “DROPS” (Data escrow module for the preventative protection of identity data against misuse) has started. As you can see on our website and as we will explain on our blog, we are working on technical and legal solutions for the data-privacy conscious ingestion, processing, and usage of leaked identity data. The overall aim is to construct a platform which allows companies and individuals to protect themselves, by easily being able to check if their data was contained in any data leak. At the same time, data security is of the utmost important to prevent follow-on damage from processing such sensitive data. The platform will be realized in the form of a data escrow module so that the data is saved and processed at a central, secured place. For example, a specific reporting office according to the EU whistleblower directive and its national implementations could run or use this platform. Central in this case, however, does not mean that there is only one instance of this platform and one reporting office, but each reporting office can have its instance of the platform, according to its needs. This overall platform is made possible through minimal data storage, the highest security measures during analysis and usage, as well as the right legal framework.

With this first entry in our ‘Logbook’ we would like to welcome you and invite you to accompany us on our exciting research adventure. In the coming months we will publish updates on our progress, challenges and results. For example, we will provide insight into our technical development as well as shed light on legal aspects of our research.

Our interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, legal researchers and data privacy experts is excited to have you participate in our research process through this logbook. We aim to not only publish final results but also share visual materials, intermediary results and our research process. We think that this increases the chances of our work being useful for other projects, people and institutions, and that it furthers the goal of effective protection against misuse of leaked identity data, which is technically and legally sound.

Stay tuned for our adventurous journey into and through the world of data security and identity data protection. Welcome aboard!