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Title: Blockchain-Driven Privacy-Preserving Contact-Tracing Framework in Pandemics
Blockchain technology, recognized for its decentralized and privacy-preserving capabilities, holds potential for enhancing privacy in contact tracing applications. Existing blockchain-based contact tracing frameworks often overlook one or more critical design details, such as the blockchain data structure, a decentralized and lightweight consensus mechanism with integrated tracing data verification, and an incentive mechanism to encourage voluntary participation in bearing blockchain costs. Moreover, the absence of framework simulations raises questions about the efficacy of these existing models. To solve above issues, this article introduces a fully third-party independent blockchain-driven contact tracing (BDCT) framework, detailed in its design. The BDCT framework features an RivestShamir-Adleman (RSA) encryption-based transaction verification method (RSA-TVM), achieving over 96% accuracy in contact case recording, even with a 60% probability of individuals failing to verify contact information. Furthermore, we propose a lightweight reputation corrected delegated proof of stake (RCDPoS) consensus mechanism, coupled with an incentive model, to ensure timely reporting of contact cases while maintaining blockchain decentralization. Additionally, a novel simulation environment for contact tracing is developed, accounting for three distinct contact scenarios with varied population density. Our results and discussions validate the effectiveness, robustness of the RSA-TVM and RC-DPoS, and the low storage demand of the BDCT framework.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1822985
PAR ID:
10546093
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ;
Publisher / Repository:
IEEE Publisher
Date Published:
Journal Name:
IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems
Volume:
11
Issue:
3
ISSN:
2373-7476
Page Range / eLocation ID:
4279 to 4289
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
Blockchain, contact tracing, COVID-19 pandemic, delegated proof of stake (DPoS), RSA.
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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