A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol

Blockchain technology has emerged as a compelling field of study over the past decade. Nevertheless, certain blockchain-based protocols, particularly those reliant on permissioned blockchains, continue to be under the governance of a central authority (CA). This central authority possesses extensive...

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Main Authors: Saeed Banaeian Far, Maryam Rajabzadeh Asaar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2024-01-01
Series:Cyber Security and Applications
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277291842300019X
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author Saeed Banaeian Far
Maryam Rajabzadeh Asaar
author_facet Saeed Banaeian Far
Maryam Rajabzadeh Asaar
author_sort Saeed Banaeian Far
collection DOAJ
description Blockchain technology has emerged as a compelling field of study over the past decade. Nevertheless, certain blockchain-based protocols, particularly those reliant on permissioned blockchains, continue to be under the governance of a central authority (CA). This central authority possesses extensive control capabilities, including the facilitation of user network access, as well as the establishment, connection, and revocation of users to and from the network. Consequently, the majority of policies within these protocols are centrally administered by a singular party. This paper introduces an architectural framework and a specific protocol denoted as the “Anonymous Reporting System with No Central Authority” (ARSnCA) on a public blockchain infrastructure. This design aims to mitigate the challenges posed by untrusted privileged insiders to the ARSnCA. It is hypothesized that this approach can enhance system reliability, fault tolerance, and foster trust among network members. To eliminate the central authority, a concept termed the virtual blockchain (VBC) is implemented as an embedded permissioned blockchain within a permissionless blockchain. Following the removal of the CA, the authorities previously held by the central authority are transferred to the members of the VBC. Comparative analysis and evaluation of the ARSnCA protocol demonstrate a performance advantage, with speeds that are 62% and 92% faster than reporting protocols based on ring signatures and other protocols included in the comparison.
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spelling doaj-art-7473039f71504a2d80ed3b96295fa58c2024-11-12T05:21:57ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Cyber Security and Applications2772-91842024-01-012100032A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocolSaeed Banaeian Far0Maryam Rajabzadeh Asaar1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Science and Research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran; Blockchain and Metaverse research lab, IR, Iran; Corresponding author at: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Science and Research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Science and Research Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, IranBlockchain technology has emerged as a compelling field of study over the past decade. Nevertheless, certain blockchain-based protocols, particularly those reliant on permissioned blockchains, continue to be under the governance of a central authority (CA). This central authority possesses extensive control capabilities, including the facilitation of user network access, as well as the establishment, connection, and revocation of users to and from the network. Consequently, the majority of policies within these protocols are centrally administered by a singular party. This paper introduces an architectural framework and a specific protocol denoted as the “Anonymous Reporting System with No Central Authority” (ARSnCA) on a public blockchain infrastructure. This design aims to mitigate the challenges posed by untrusted privileged insiders to the ARSnCA. It is hypothesized that this approach can enhance system reliability, fault tolerance, and foster trust among network members. To eliminate the central authority, a concept termed the virtual blockchain (VBC) is implemented as an embedded permissioned blockchain within a permissionless blockchain. Following the removal of the CA, the authorities previously held by the central authority are transferred to the members of the VBC. Comparative analysis and evaluation of the ARSnCA protocol demonstrate a performance advantage, with speeds that are 62% and 92% faster than reporting protocols based on ring signatures and other protocols included in the comparison.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277291842300019XAnonymous reporting systemRping signatureSecret sharingVirtual blockchainWhistleblowing
spellingShingle Saeed Banaeian Far
Maryam Rajabzadeh Asaar
A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol
Cyber Security and Applications
Anonymous reporting system
Rping signature
Secret sharing
Virtual blockchain
Whistleblowing
title A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol
title_full A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol
title_fullStr A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol
title_full_unstemmed A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol
title_short A blockchain-based anonymous reporting system with no central authority: Architecture and protocol
title_sort blockchain based anonymous reporting system with no central authority architecture and protocol
topic Anonymous reporting system
Rping signature
Secret sharing
Virtual blockchain
Whistleblowing
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277291842300019X
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AT saeedbanaeianfar blockchainbasedanonymousreportingsystemwithnocentralauthorityarchitectureandprotocol
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