Microsoft to employ Ethereum blockchain to fight piracy

Renowned software developer Microsoft is looking to employ blockchain technology to tackle privacy.

In an R&D paper released in collaboration with researchers from Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon University, Microsoft studied a blockchain-based incentive system to bolster anti-piracy campaigns.

The research work titled “Argus: A Fully Transparent Incentive System for Anti-Piracy Campaigns” will be built on the Ethereum blockchain and will look to offer a trustless incentive mechanism while securing information collected from the open anonymous population of piracy reporters.

Speaking in the paper, the researchers stated that:

We see this as a distributed system problem […] in the implementation; we overcome a set of unavoidable obstacles to ensure security despite full transparency.

Meanwhile, a watermarking algorithm detailed in the paper will enable Argus to backtrack any pirated content down to its source. The system will also prevent informants from repeatedly reporting the same leaked content under different names with the help of incentive-reducing safeguards.

Many global tech organizations have become very concerned with protecting intellectual property and are taking various steps to eradicate digital piracy.

Thanks to its support for smart contracts, Ethereum has grown to become a cornerstone for many blockchain solutions. Back in March, payments giant Visa chose to use the Ethereum blockchain for crypto settlements.