A slightly technical overview of CAAS concept introduced by PUBLIQ.
Co-author: Tigran Ghahramanayan, PUBLIQ, cover photo: E. Chubarov.
PUBLIQ is a distributed P2P network for open and direct exchange of digital assets, facilitated by internal utility token, PBQ.
It guarantees all content creators and distributors full inclusion, freedom of expression and protection of rights.
The main asset in the exchange is the free, authentic and immutable content, a service (CAAS) which fairly rewards creators whenever and however it is consumed.
PUBLIQ protocol enables a decentralized publishing platform as one of its use cases for any content creation, storing, distribution, sharing and accessing. The platform is designed around and is tightly integrated with PUBLIQ proprietary blockchain. It has extended layers such as distributed storage and channel operators as integral parts of its P2P network, as well as features for promotion of the content and automatic distribution of PBQ rewards.
Content in PUBLIQ
PUBLIQ content consists of logical files that are formatted in common electronic formats, such as text, image, or any other. A file can have multiple authors, as the author may include in her file the files of other authors, while the required crediting is done automatically by the platform. A file can have several co-authors. This makes it possible for example to automate the distribution of rewards to co-authors (e.g. by using smart contracts).
Each file is time stamped and processed by adding its cryptographic hash (URI) and the author's cryptographic signature. These attributes of the file are then included in the blockchain, forming important trust features, as described in the final part of this text, for the network to refer to. We use the term file URI (unified resource identifier) instead of the cryptographic hash.
PUBLIQ framework treats content structure by its file URIs and keeps indexes for articles using the text or keywords appeared in the text files. The actual content is stored in the distributed storage, and remains off the blockchain, while its meta-data, that is the structure, file URIs, timestamps and author information is stored on the blockchain.
Although the content structure does not have any limitations as far as the document format is concerned, it does require the use of a markup language such as HTML, Markdown or TeX. This design makes the files easily reusable, as it does not create an extra need for giving a separate credit to the author. It is optimized for interactive interfaces that modern technologies offer, while use of citations and references are a matter of a friendly user interface.
Even in cases when the original file is altered with intention to change the cryptographic hash so that the duplicate is not explicitly recognizable, the original author still has the proof of ownership and the history remains there, thanks to blockchain technology. This arguably helps prevent academic plagiarism, and with other tools may be developed to offer a full protection.
A use case: Academic Publishing
As an example, for the scientific community it is not only the content with its structure that matters, but also the reference chain. So, similar to content structure, the referencing chain is also reflected on the blockchain (referring to Scholarian academic publishing platform built on PUBLIQ protocol), structured so that automated tools may analyze such important data as the author ranking based on the blockchain information.
It is not only the citation information that can be implemented in this manner but also reviews on articles by other peers. The architecture allows implementation of desired review options and disclosures, including pre and post publishing, open, single or double-blinded reviews. In all the cases a review is processed and recorded as any other content, having the complete visual and contextual information, which makes it equally valuable and attributable.
The publishing process consists of the following separate logical steps.
- Definition of the content structure.
- Creation of transactions that record content meta-data on the blockchain.
- Reporting on the availability of the content on the web.
Thanks to the above separation, an author is able to prove her ownership before the content is actually published. Thus storing on the blockchain of the transactions reflecting all the steps above serve as an important evidence of authorship.
Welcome to PUBLIQ, where your content is of service that rewards you as its author!