Privacy Protection Scheme for Storage and Transaction of Non-Fungible Tokens

Abstract

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), recognized for their uniqueness and irreplaceability, serve as an effective mechanism for copyright protection of digital works. Utilizing NFTs to build trading platforms facilitates copyright authentication, monitoring, and circulation of artworks. To alleviate the immense storage pressure on blockchain networks, NFT artworks are often stored in the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). However, as IPFS is a decentralized file system lacking encryption mechanisms for data, the absence of privacy protection could render copyright protection measures ineffective if malicious users access and utilize the data outside the trading platform. This paper proposes a tri-layered protection mechanism for NFT artwork data, encompassing access control, image watermarking, and data encryption. The proposed scheme ensures artwork protection against theft without compromising the circulation and transaction of works. Experimental results demonstrate that the scheme meets the privacy and security needs of the artworks efficiently and at a low cost.