Secure blockchain-based consensus

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

broadcasting a transaction, by a node in a blockchain network, to a congress pool

to join a congress formed of a group of nodes;

after the congress has accepted a request from a requester to activate a script, preparing, by the node, a blockchain transaction cryptographically locked with a public key associated with the congress pool, the blockchain transaction configured to permit a plurality of information providing systems to add inputs to the blockchain transaction, wherein the inputs include respective proof of solution data;

generating, after the inputs have been added to the blockchain transaction, by the node in cooperation with other nodes of the group, a valid-cryptographic signature for the blockchain transaction to unlock the blockchain transaction, the cryptographic signature generated by the node cooperating with the other nodes of the congress using a plurality of private key shares, wherein each private key share of the plurality of private key shares is generated within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) of an individual node of the congress;

after the transaction has been unlocked, receiving data from the plurality of information providing systems;

determining, by the node, whether the data received from at least one of the information providing systems corresponds with a committed solution based on the respective proof of solution data;

wherein in response to determining that the data received from the at least one of the information providing systems does correspond with a committed solution based on the respective proof of solution data, the method further comprises:

determining a centre point for the data received from the plurality of information providing systems; and

activating, by the node in cooperation with the other nodes of the congress, the script based on the centre point;

discarding, in response to determining that the data received from the at least one of the information providing systems does not correspond with a committed solution based on the respective proof of solution data, the data;

detecting a corrupted node within one of the plurality of nodes of the congress; and

setting a valid cryptographic signature to require greater than or equal to half of the plurality of private key shares when a corrupted node has been detected.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

based on the centre point, identifying, by the node, a subset of the information providing systems that provided data proximate to the centre point; and

authorizing, by the node in cooperation with the other nodes of the group, a transfer of a token to each information providing system in the subset.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the token included in the transfer includes one or more tokens received from the requester into the congress pool.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the request includes a threshold indicator and wherein the subset is identified based on the threshold indicator.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold indicator is received from the requester.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the inputs include tokens to be locked for security.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the information providing systems include, in the blockchain transaction, a hash based on a public key, a solution to the request and salt.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the data received from the plurality of information providing systems includes the public key, the solution to the request and the salt, the method further comprising:

generating the hash based on the public key, the solution to the request and the salt; and

comparing the generated hash with the hash included in the blockchain transaction.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting malicious activity by a malicious party, wherein the malicious party is one of the nodes of the congress; and

using a private key share to confiscate at least a portion of tokens previously transferred to the congress pool by the malicious party.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein confiscating comprises transferring to an unspendable account.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, configure a processor to perform the method of claim 1 .

12. An electronic device comprising:

an interface device;

a processor coupled to the interface device, the processor comprising a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE); and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed, configure the processor to perform the method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating the private key share associated with the electronic device is performed within the TEE.

13. The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the computer executable instructions are executed within the trusted execution environment.