The Biological Sovereignty Protocol is an open protocol that gives every individual cryptographic ownership of their biological data — genomics, clinical records, wearables, and more.

Where is my data stored?

All data is permanently stored on the Arweave network, a decentralized storage blockchain. No company can delete or revoke your access.

Do I need to pay to use BSP?

No. BSP is open source and MIT-licensed. Any developer can integrate for free. Arweave storage costs are minimal.

How does consent work?

Every access requires a ConsentToken — cryptographically signed by the BEO holder. You define scope, time limits, and can revoke at any time.

Can I integrate with existing systems (FHIR, HL7)?

Yes. BSP was designed to interoperate with existing standards. Our Exchange API translates between formats natively.

BSP is maintained by the Ambrósio Institute and community-governed through BIPs (BSP Improvement Proposals). Anyone can propose changes.

Glossary

Canonical definitions for all terms used in the Biological Sovereignty Protocol.

A

Access Control The mechanism by which a BEO holder grants or revokes access to their biological data. In BSP, access is managed via ConsentTokens on-chain.

Arweave A permanent, decentralized storage network used by BSP to store BioRecords and BEO objects. Data stored on Arweave cannot be deleted or modified.

B

BEO — Biological Entity Object The cryptographic identity of a living organism in the BSP ecosystem. A BEO contains a public key, metadata about the organism (species, unique identifiers), and links to associated BioRecords. See: BEO Schema.

BioRecord A standardized time-series data object containing one or more biomarker measurements. BioRecords are the core data unit in BSP. See: BioRecord Schema.

BIP — Biological Improvement Proposal A design document proposing new features or changes to the BSP protocol. BIPs follow a formal review process similar to Ethereum's EIPs. See: BIPs.

Biological Sovereignty The principle that every living being has the right to own, control, and benefit from data generated by their biology — permanently, without dependence on any institution or API.

Biomarker Any measurable indicator of a biological state or process. Examples include blood glucose, VO2 max, cortisol, genomic variants, heart rate variability. BSP defines a standardized Biomarker Taxonomy.

Biomarker Taxonomy The hierarchical classification of biomarkers used in BSP. Organized in 4 levels: Core (Level 1), Standard (Level 2), Extended (Level 3), and Device (Level 4).

BSP Domain A human-readable identifier for a BEO (e.g., alice.bsp). Analogous to ENS domains in Ethereum. See: BSP Domain System.

C

ConsentToken An on-chain token that encodes a patient's consent for a specific institution or application to access specific data fields for a defined time period. ConsentTokens can be revoked by the BEO holder at any time.

Cryptographic Ownership Ownership of data backed by a private key. Only the holder of the private key can sign transactions that modify or grant access to their BEO.

D

Decentralized Health Record A health record stored in a decentralized, permanent storage system (such as Arweave), controlled by the patient rather than a healthcare provider.

E

Exchange Protocol The BSP specification for how biological data is transferred between parties. Defines data formats, authentication, and consent verification. See: Exchange Protocol.

G

Governance The process by which changes to the BSP protocol are proposed, debated, and approved. Governed by BIPs and a community of contributors. See: Governance.

I

IEO — Institutional Entity Object The cryptographic identity of an institution (hospital, lab, insurer, research institution) in the BSP ecosystem. IEOs interact with BEOs through ConsentTokens. See: IEO Schema.

Immutability The property that stored data cannot be modified after it is written. BSP leverages Arweave's immutability to guarantee data permanence.

L

Longevity AI Applications that use biological data, stored according to BSP standards, to generate insights about aging, health optimization, and longevity.

O

Open Standard A publicly available specification that can be implemented by anyone without paying royalties or obtaining special permissions. BSP is an open standard licensed under MIT.

P

Permanent Storage Storage that guarantees data availability indefinitely, regardless of the financial state of any single organization. BSP uses Arweave for permanent storage.

Private Key A cryptographic secret known only to the data owner. Used to sign transactions and prove ownership of a BEO.

S

SDK Software Development Kit. BSP provides official SDKs in TypeScript and Python for interacting with the protocol. See: SDK Reference.

Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) The concept that individuals should control their own digital identities without relying on centralized authorities. BSP applies SSI principles to biological data.

T

Transaction ID (TxID) A unique identifier for a transaction on Arweave. Used to reference a stored BioRecord or BEO object.

V

Verifiable Credential A cryptographically signed document that proves a claim about a BEO (e.g., a lab test result). BSP BioRecords are designed to function as verifiable credentials.

See also: What is BSP? · Specification Overview · BSP vs FHIR

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