Decentralizing peer reviewing to increase transparency, quality and reliability

Publications

“It is in collectivities that we find reservoirs of hope and optimism.”

― Angela Y. Davis

Decentralizing peer reviewing to increase transparency, quality and reliability

Elena Pérez Tirador, Ámbar Tenorio-Fornés

Throughout the last years, sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces have become major concerns for institutions and feminist organizations, since they are serious problems. Legislation has been improved in order to prosecute the perpetrators. However, these measures work a posteriori, when the problem has already happened.

This project aims to provide a system for preventing and helping in cases of sexual harassment in the streets. It centers on the implementation of an Android application that allows users to cooperate and help each other in case of need, thus creating a community of aware people that are able to react to these problems right where they happen.

A system has been designed using a User-Centered Design approach, gathering data from potential users and adapting it to their needs. The core of the application runs on an Ethereum blockchain. By using this technology, it is possible to create a decentralized system for sharing trustworthy information. Also, with its cryptographic basis, it provides the privacy and anonimity that are needed in such sensitive situations.

The proposed system has been reviewed by potential users and professionals and has shown success in providing an intuitive mobile interface to report sexual harassment incidents and in showing that blockchain technologies are ready to be integrated in consumer level secure applications