CAREER: Measurement, Analysis, and Novel Applications of Blockchains

这项研究旨在发展区块链的科学。区块链是一个分布式的仅附加数据库，包含加密链接的记录。这项技术是加密货币(例如比特币)的基础。将开发分析区块链数据的原则性方法，以回答有关加密货币的经济、安全、隐私和匿名性的关键问题。该项目设想将区块链作为新型去中心化应用和互联网安全机制的支柱。该项目将开发一个新的开源区块链分析工具BlockSci，并用它来回答研究问题，包括：我们应该如何为加密货币参与者建模？去中心化的市场运作得如何，它们又是如何失败的？实际上，加密货币的私密性有多大？区块链能否作为安全、去中心化的互联网的基础？该项目的研究成果将被整合到普林斯顿大学关于加密货币的大规模在线公开课、学生项目和一门关于安全经济学的新课程中。该项目将通过会议和开源软件的发布向加密货币行业和开发人员社区通报情况。该项目将结合计算机科学对加密货币的研究与博弈论和机制设计的前沿技术。该项目可以验证包括频谱图分析在内的强大的机器学习方法对区块链中丰富数据的适用性。系统设计和部署部分将有助于就扩展大数据分析技术的不同方法进行重要的持续辩论。私人投资公司将继续与政策制定者和监管机构接触，以确保政府机构了解该项目的结果。

This research seeks to develop the science of blockchains. A blockchain is a distributed append-only database containing cryptographically linked records. The technology is the basis of cryptocurrencies (e.g., bitcoin). Principled methods for analyzing blockchain data will be developed in order to answer key questions about the economics, security, privacy, and anonymity of cryptocurrencies. The project envisions blockchains as the pillar of a new breed of decentralized applications and Internet security mechanisms. The project will develop a new open-source blockchain analysis tool, BlockSci, and use it to answer research questions including: How should we model cryptocurrency participants? How well do decentralized markets work, and how do they fail? How private are cryptocurrencies in practice? Can blockchains serve as the foundation for a secure, decentralized Internet? The research outputs of the project will be integrated into Princeton's Massive Online Open Course on cryptocurrencies, student projects, and a new course on the economics of security. The project will inform the cryptocurrency industry and developer community through conferences and release of open-source software.This project will combine computer science research on cryptocurrencies with cutting-edge techniques from game theory and mechanism design. The project could validate the applicability of powerful machine learning methods, including spectral graph analysis, to the rich data in blockchains. The system design and deployment component will contribute to important ongoing debates on the different approaches to scaling of big data analytics techniques. The PI will continue his engagement with policy makers and regulators to ensure that government agencies are informed by the results of this project.