Nokia Blockchain trial for secure health data bid

Communications giant Nokia, in collaboration with OP Financial Group, has started a blockchain pilot to explore new opportunities in the rising field of digital health. The new project seeks to develop better and more secure methods of storing and sharing healthcare data.

One hundred participants are included in the pilot to test how they could have more control over their personal health data – how it is shared, who can access it, and how it can be used – with a focus on privacy and security offered by blockchain technologies.

"While the value of connected health data is widely recognised, it is often not leveraged to its full potential due to authenticity, availability and privacy concerns. Trust is a vital requirement in order for health data to provide the greatest benefit to individuals, families and our global society," Nokia said in its website.  

Project participants will use Nokia wearable devices to track their daily steps and hours of sleep, storing this data on a blockchain. These results are compared to users’ fitness goals. Users who meet or make progress toward these goals will receive loyalty points depending on their participation in the pilot.

This project, according to Nokia, can help develop "insights on global health issues" provided that users trust the systems being used in the collection and sharing of personal health data. This collaboration with OP is "a step towards a global digital health ecosystem that benefits both individuals and society," Nokia added.

OP Financial’s laboratory head, Kristian Luoma, said this pilot project is an example of how blockchain can be applied to health programmes in the future, particularly to applications which require trust from users.

Blockchain technology offers, in essence, a distributed data record that is maintained by several parties that may have competing interests. This is different from the usual centralised services, in which personal data is maintained by a single company, such as Facebook, Google, Dropbox, etc.

Source: CoinDesk
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