The mapping between semantic data (e.g. file systems and namespaces, databases, object stores) and the devices that store the associated bytes and blocks that compose them has been one-way by design - from semantic data through pointers (e.g. inodes) to blocks of bytes, but the reverse association is rarely used, except for debug. In semantic storage, the storage controllers (and in some cases devices themselves) would know that a block belongs to a specific object, file, table/record/field and this reverse association could be used by new applications for performance optimization, security monitors, and data protection, for example. The idea is not to revolutionize or change storage, but rather allow for reverse mapping so lower-level features can be semantically aware and so new applications like intrusion detection systems can know that block access is suspect, sub-optimal, or requires cache updates.