A privacy‐preserving model for blockchain‐based data sharing in the industrial internet

Abstract

AbstractInformation technology is an important direction for the development of traditional industries. With the in‐depth study of the industrial internet and blockchain technology in recent years, data‐sharing based on blockchain has become an important means to achieve industrial internet interconnection and has played an important role in achieving production efficiency and product quality. However, the transparency of blockchain can raise privacy issues, and competitors may engage in malicious competition due to the exposure of blockchain transactions. Therefore, based on the general blockchain system, this article unifies the scale of value of data sharing by introducing a token exchange mechanism as a basis for privacy‐preserving mechanisms. Based on smart contracts, a token mixer anonymizes shared participants. By introducing a ring signature scheme with smart contracts, we provide group‐oriented authentication for anonymous identities participating in data sharing and ensure data flow within a controlled range. The abovementioned mechanism provides a feasible solution for the privacy‐preserving requirement of data sharing among industrial entities and could encourage industrial entities to participate in data sharing, supporting the goals of interconnection in the industrial internet.