# Blockchain and Biometrics: Survey, GDPR Analysis, and Future Directions

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2302.10883 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.10883/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 24 of its 148 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Feb 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 24 of 24)

- [IPFS - Content Addressed, Versioned, P2P File System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1407.3561/) (2014)
- [FedFace: Collaborative Learning of Face Recognition Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.03008/) (2021)
- [SensitiveNets: Learning Agnostic Representations with Application to Face Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.00334/) (2019)
- [Smartphone Sensors for Modeling Human-Computer Interaction: General Outlook and Research Datasets for User Authentication](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.00790/) (2020)
- [Blockchain Technology Overview](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1906.11078/) (2019)
- [BeCAPTCHA-Mouse: Synthetic Mouse Trajectories and Improved Bot Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.00890/) (2020)
- [Blockchain is Watching You: Profiling and Deanonymizing Ethereum Users](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2005.14051/) (2020)
- [Toward Face Biometric De-identification using Adversarial Examples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.03657/) (2023)
- [Biometric Template Storage with Blockchain: A First Look into Cost and Performance Tradeoffs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.13128/) (2019)
- [Deanonymisation of clients in Bitcoin P2P network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1405.7418/) (2014)
- [OTB-morph: One-Time Biometrics via Morphing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.09053/) (2023)
- [OTB-morph: One-Time Biometrics via Morphing applied to Face Templates](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.13213/) (2021)
- [Bitcoin-NG: A Scalable Blockchain Protocol](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1510.02037/) (2015)
- [Blockchain in the Internet of Things: Architectures and Implementation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.05817/) (2020)
- [BeCAPTCHA-Type: Biometric Keystroke Data Generation for Improved Bot Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.13394/) (2022)
- [Blockchain meets Biometrics: Concepts, Application to Template Protection, and Trends](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.09262/) (2020)
- [Quickest Intruder Detection for Multiple User Active Authentication](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11921/) (2020)
- [Portable Trust: biometric-based authentication and blockchain storage for self-sovereign identity systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03744/) (2017)
- [A Decentralised Digital Identity Architecture](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.08769/) (2019)
- [Blockchain and Biometrics: A First Look into Opportunities and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.05496/) (2019)
- [Biometric Blockchain: A Better Solution for the Security and Trust of Food Logistics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1907.10589/) (2019)
- [Biometric Blockchain: A Secure Solution for Intelligent Vehicle Data Sharing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.06369/) (2019)
- [Securing CNN Model and Biometric Template using Blockchain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2008.00054/) (2020)
- [A Novel Multimodal Biometric Authentication System using Machine Learning and Blockchain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.03014/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [PBa-LLM: Privacy- and Bias-aware NLP using Named-Entity Recognition (NER)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.02966/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Biometric recognition as an efficient and hard-to-forge way of identification and verification has become an indispensable part of the current digital world. The fast evolution of this technology has been a strong incentive for integration into many applications. Meanwhile, blockchain, the decentralized ledger technology, has been widely received by both research and industry in the past few years, and it is being increasingly deployed today in many different applications, such as money transfer, IoT, healthcare, or logistics. Recently, researchers have started to speculate on the pros and cons and what the best applications would be when these two technologies cross paths. This paper provides a survey of the research literature on the combination of blockchain and biometrics and includes a first legal analysis of this integration based on GDPR to shed light on challenges and potentials. Although the integration of blockchain technology into the biometric sector is still in its infancy, with a growing body of literature discussing specific applications and advanced technological setups, this paper aims to provide a holistic understanding of blockchain applicability in biometrics. Based on published studies, this article discusses, among others, practical examples combining blockchain and biometrics for novel applications in PKI systems, distributed trusted services, and identity management. Challenges and limitations when combining blockchain and biometrics that motivate future work will also be discussed; e.g., blockchain networks at their current stage may not be efficient or economical for some real-time biometric applications. Finally, we also discuss key legal aspects of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) related to this combination of technologies (blockchain and biometrics); for example, accountability, immutability, anonymity, and data protection elements.