Guardians of the Galaxy: Content Moderation in the InterPlanetary File System
Saidu Sokoto, Leonhard Balduf, Dennis Trautwein, Yiluo Wei, Gareth Tyson, Ignacio Castro, Onur Ascigil, George Pavlou, Maciej Korczyński, Björn Scheuermann, Michał Król
33rd USENIX Security Symposium · Day 1 · USENIX Security '24
This talk, presented by Saidu Sokoto and a team of international collaborators, delves into the complex and often contentious realm of content moderation within the **InterPlanetary File System (IPFS)**. As a decentralized, peer-to-peer data storage and retrieval network, IPFS presents unique challenges for managing illicit or problematic content, particularly when that content becomes easily accessible via traditional HTTP through public gateways. The research specifically investigates an existing, centralized moderation solution implemented by Protocol Labs, the primary developers of IPFS, known as the "bad bits list."
AI review
This research meticulously characterizes the effectiveness and failures of Protocol Labs' "bad bits list" in moderating content on IPFS. It highlights a critical tension between decentralization and the practical necessity of content control, exposing significant inconsistencies in gateway enforcement and a concerning surge in phishing content. The findings provide vital, data-driven insights for securing decentralized systems.