Forget-me-block: Exploring digital preservation strategies using Distributed Ledger Technology in the context of personal information management

Abstract: Received wisdom portrays digital records as guaranteeing perpetuity; as the New York Times wrote a decade ago: "the web means the end of forgetting". The reality however is that digital records suffer similar risks of access loss as the analogue versions they replace. Often this risk is outsourced to specialised third parties. Common use cases include Personal Information Management (PIM): e.g. calendars, diaries, tasks, etc. Frequently these are outsourced at two removes - firstly by the individual to their employer (e.g. using a company system) and then by their employer to an external provider. So enters a new risk: organisational change; by the time the information is required the organisational chain that links user to data may be broken: the employer transitions to a different provider, the employee leaves the company, the IS provider pivots to new offerings. The advent of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) could help mitigate these risks; and has led to a re-evaluation of the relationship between data creation and ownership. Although DLT is an imprecise term, it typically involves data storage across organisationally separate entities in a cryptographically secure form; and therefore could present a partial solution to the risk. This project presents the first research that applies DLT to the field of PIM, furthering design science state of the art by a novel implementation of a calendar application on the Ethereum blockchain. It also extends current research in utilising DLT in digital preservation, namely by enacting a continuum approach within a DL that allows for transfer of ownership of digital objects as they transition from individual to collective relevance. Finally it provides guidelines for future use of DLT within digital preservation.