ISO/DTR 24332 is being developed as a joint effort between ISO/TC 307 Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies and ISO/TC 46/SC 11 Archives/Records Management. This draft technical report investigates how blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT) can be applied to authoritative records, records systems, and records management. DLT-based solutions, just like any other information system used for business and governance, generate and store records that must be managed following legal, regulatory, business, and societal requirements. Notably, DLT systems also hold potential as tools for records management.
From a records management perspective, DLT requires thorough analysis due to its unique characteristics—such as its distributed nature, immutability, and smart contracts. These features, including the lack of a designated owner, distributed governance, cross-border use, and a novel trust model, distinguish DLT from traditional systems. While DLT can support records management by ensuring integrity, it also presents challenges in legal compliance, authority and court disclosures, retention and disposition management, protection of personally identifiable information (PII), and e-discovery.
The document explores these challenges and the potential benefits of blockchain and DLT in relation to records management standards. It addresses how these technologies:
- Generate records that should be considered authoritative.
- Function as records systems.
- Can be employed as records management tools, including for records control.
The intended audience for this report includes records managers, IT professionals, application developers, legal and compliance experts, researchers, educators, and anyone else interested in the subject matter.