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Proof of usage: user-centric consensus for data provision and exchange

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Abstract

This paper presents a new consensus algorithm, Proof of Usage (PoU), for the blockchain technology. This consensus is introduced for permissioned (or private) blockchains and is designed for a user-centric personal data market. This market is subject to specific regulations with which conventional blockchains fail to comply. Proof of Usage aims to promote a new paradigm dedicated to usage incentivization, valuation, and control of user data in various sectors, such as banking and insurance. Other consensuses such as Proof of Stake or historical Proof of Work do not encourage coin spending and usage (in fact, Proof of Stake promotes the opposite). However, the value of the currency mainly depends on its use. This paper first introduces a contextualization of blockchain technology and decentralized consensus models. The motivation is then discussed for a new model of personal data exchange in a decentralized but supervised environment. The PoU protocol and its process flow are defined in detail. Furthermore, the paper explores two different approaches regarding the reward mechanism and the incentive model. Finally, the paper focuses on security requirements and how PoU meets such requirements in a permissioned-based blockchain system.

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Notes

  1. An asymmetric mathematical problem is a mathematical problem that is hard to solve but the solution of which is easy to verify.

  2. FTS is an algorithm that picks a coin and selects its owner as a leader. The more coins a node has, the more likely it will be selected.

  3. In cryptography, a salt is data that are used as an additional input to a one-way function that hashes data. Salts are used to safeguard passwords in storage, but here it is used to generate multiple hashes from a single input.

  4. https://github.com/Pikciochain/Proof_of_Usage

  5. https://monitor.pikciochain.com/

  6. https://explorer.testnet.pikciochain.com/#/

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pikcio SAS, Montpellier, France

    Samuel Masseport & Jorick Lartigau

  2. LIRMM, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France

    Samuel Masseport, Benoît Darties & Rodolphe Giroudeau

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  1. Samuel Masseport
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  2. Jorick Lartigau
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  3. Benoît Darties
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  4. Rodolphe Giroudeau
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Correspondence to Samuel Masseport.

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Masseport, S., Lartigau, J., Darties, B. et al. Proof of usage: user-centric consensus for data provision and exchange. Ann. Telecommun. 75, 153–162 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12243-020-00753-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12243-020-00753-8

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