Empowering Citizens by a Blockchain-Based Robinson List

TL;DR

This paper proposes a decentralised Robinson list system using blockchain technology, specifically Algorand, to enhance privacy and trustworthiness in managing spam call blocking preferences.

Contribution

It introduces a novel decentralised design for Robinson lists, moving away from centralised services, with a proof-of-concept implementation and performance evaluation.

Findings

The PoC demonstrates scalable performance and acceptable latency.

The decentralised system enhances privacy and reduces reliance on third parties.

Performance metrics indicate feasibility for real-world deployment.

Abstract

A Robinson list protects phone subscribers against commercial spam calls. Its least basic functionality is to collect the denial of the subscribers to be contacted by market operators. Nowadays, Robinson lists run as centralised services, which implies that citizens should trust third parties for the management of their choices. In this paper, we show a design that allows us to realise a Robinson list as a decentralised service. Our work leverages the experience developed by Fondazione Ugo Bordoni as the manager of the Italian Robinson list. We present a general solution and a proof-of-concept (PoC) adopting the Algorand technology. We evaluate the performances of our PoC in terms of its scalability and of the latency perceived by the involved actors. We also discuss aspects related to identity management and privacy.