I-Corps: Distributed Ledger Technology as a Security and Tracking Mechanism for Online Gaming

Award ID: 2038357

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a technology for information, such as advertisements, to be placed securely in a dynamic format. One possible application is video games, with users surpassing 2.5 billion people worldwide (growing larger due to COVID-19). The proposed system is a secure, blockchain-enabled platform that could be used for the online gaming ecosystem. This is the first known use of distributed ledger technology (DLT) for such a use case. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a DLT solution placing information in a closed dynamic digital system with no technical integration required for either party. While user data privacy is often violated on many traditional advertising platforms, the proposed technology ensures that users privacy is always protected. By using distributed ledger technology (DLT) instead of a third-party database, users retain full control over their data, which are protected from other access without explicit user permission. The proposed project will advance technology to deploy, track and optimize the system. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman