DQ: Two approaches to measure the degree of decentralization of blockchain

• Main Authors: Jaeseung Lee, Byungheon Lee, Jaeyoung Jung, Hojun Shim, Hwangnam Kim
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-09-01
• Series: ICT Express
• Subjects: Blockchain; Decentralization quotient; Distributed network; Privacy
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405959521000977

Blockchain technology innovatively removes the need for intermediaries and establishes a trust-less trust system by peer-to-peer networks and distributed ledger technology. It is still difficult to clarify the specific degree of decentralization of blockchain even though the decentralized characteristic of the system is derived from this system structure. Namely, the criteria for determining whether decentralized are not well established and do not reflect the real world well. So we propose two approaches to measure the degree of decentralization of blockchain system that currently exists: Censorship resistance and geographical diversity. This paper outlines the meaning of each decentralization quotient and explains how those indices can be applied in respect of the user protection.