Trusting the trust machine:Evaluating trust signals of blockchain applications

Information systems research emphasizes that blockchain requires trust in the technology itself. However, we lack knowledge on the applicability of established trust cues to blockchain technology. Thus, this paper's objective is to empirically evaluate the effectiveness of several established IS trust formation factors on end user trust. We do so by conducting a between-groups experiment. While we can validate the applicability of previous IS trust research for blockchain technology to some extent, we find that trust signals emphasizing the technology's underlying trust-building characteristics are most effective. Hence, we highlight the need for contextualization of trust research on blockchain technology. We provide both researchers and practitioners with insights for building trustworthy blockchain applications that enable trust-less interactions not only in theory but in practice.</p

The Impact of Resource Allocation on the Machine Learning Lifecycle

An organization’s ability to develop Machine Learning (ML) applications depends on its available resource base. Without awareness and understanding of all relevant resources as well as their impact on the ML lifecycle, we risk inefficient allocations as well as missing monopolization tendencies. To counteract these risks, the study develops a framework that interweaves the relevant resources with the procedural and technical dependencies within the ML lifecycle. To rigorously develop and evaluate this framework the paper follows the Design Science Research paradigm and builds on a literature review and an interview study. In doing so, it bridges the gap between the software engineering and management perspective to advance the ML management discourse. The results extend the literature by introducing not yet discussed but relevant resources, describing six direct and indirect effects of resources on the ML lifecycle, and revealing the resources’ contextual properties. Furthermore, the framework is useful in practice to support organizational decision-making and contextualize monopolization tendencies

Yes, I Do: Marrying Blockchain Applications with GDPR

Due to blockchains’ intrinsic transparency and immutability, blockchain-based applications are challenged by privacy regulations, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Hence, scaling blockchain use cases to production often fails to owe to a lack of compliance with legal constraints. As current research mainly focuses on specific use cases, we aim to offer comprehensive guidance regarding the development of blockchain solutions that comply with privacy regulations. Following the action design research method, we contribute a generic framework and design principles to the research domain. In this context, we also emphasize the need for distinguishing between applications based on blockchains’ data integrity and computational integrity guarantees

Accept Me as I Am or See Me Go: A Qualitative Analysis of User Acceptance of Self-Sovereign Identity Applications

Self-sovereign identity represents a novel phenomenon aiming to innovate how entities interact with, manage, and prove identity-related information. As with any emerging phenomenon, user acceptance represents a major challenge for the adoption of Self-sovereign identity. Since previous initiatives for digital identity management solutions have not been successfully adopted while at the same time their benefits are largely driven by network effects, user acceptance research is of particular importance for Self-sovereign identity. Therefore, we investigate the user acceptance of Self-sovereign identity by conducting a qualitative interview study. We contribute novel variables to existing theory and offer guidelines for building Self-sovereign identity systems

Yes, I do: Marrying blockchain applications with GDPR

Due to blockchains’ intrinsic transparency and immutability, blockchain-based applications are challenged by privacy regulations, such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Hence, scaling blockchain use cases to production often fails to owe to a lack of compliance with legal constraints. As current research mainly focuses on specific use cases, we aim to offer comprehensive guidance regarding the development of blockchain solutions that comply with privacy regulations. Following the action design research method, we contribute a generic framework and design principles to the research domain. In this context, we also emphasize the need for distinguishing between applications based on blockchains’ data integrity and computational integrity guarantees

Harmonizing sensitive data exchange and double-spending prevention through blockchain and digital wallets: The case of e-prescription management

The digital transformation of the medical sector requires solutions that are convenient and efficient for all stakeholders while protecting patients’ sensitive data. One example that has already attracted design-oriented research are medical prescriptions. However, current implementations of electronic prescription management systems typically create centralized data silos, leaving user data vulnerable to cybersecurity incidents and impeding interoperability. Research has also proposed decentralized solutions based on blockchain technology, but privacy-related challenges have often been ignored. We conduct design science research to develop and implement a system for the exchange of electronic prescriptions that builds on two blockchains and a digital wallet app. Our solution combines the bilateral, verifiable, and privacy-focused exchange of information between doctors, patients, and pharmacies through verifiable credentials with a token-based, anonymized double-spending check. Our qualitative and quantitative evaluations as well as a security analysis suggest that this architecture can improve existing approaches to electronic prescription management by offering patients control over their data by design, a high level of security, sufficient performance and scalability, and interoperability with emerging digital identity management solutions for users, businesses, and institutions. We also derive principles on how to design decentralized, privacy-oriented information systems that require both the exchange of sensitive information and double-usage protection

Welche Zukunft hat die Blockchain-Technologie in der Energiewirtschaft?

Die Blockchain-Technologie erfuhr die Spitze ihres ersten großen Hypes im Jahr 2017. Bei der Blockchain-Technologie handelt es sich um ein dezentrales elektronisches Register für digitale Transaktionen. Zu den Eigenschaften der Technologie zählen u. a. eine hohe Manipulationsresistenz, welche Vertrauen in digitale Daten erzeugen kann, sowie die Möglichkeit, Prozesse und Transaktionen, ohne Intermediär abzuwickeln. Diese besonderen Eigenschaften ermöglichen die Entstehung eines "Internets der Werte". Während Kryptowährungen den bekanntesten Anwendungsfall darstellen (oft auch "digitale Währungen" oder "Krypto-Token" genannt), sind seit der Einführung der Technologie im Jahr 2008 viele weitere Anwendungsfälle diskutiert worden. Dabei bietet sich die Technologie nicht als Universallösung für jegliche Problemstellungen an. Das nachfolgende Diskussionspapier soll aufzeigen, in welchen Branchen sich die Technologie bereits etabliert hat, welche allgemeinen Missverständnisse die Technologie umgeben und wo ihre energiewirtschaftlichen Einsatzmöglichkeiten liegen. Zudem soll aufgezeigt werden, welche technologieunabhängigen Hürden den Einsatz der Technologie erschweren