A Proposal for a Blockchain-Based Review Platform to Prevent Review Bombing

Abstract

Online review systems play a critical role in shaping consumer decisions and business reputation. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to manipulation, particularly through a coordinated practice known as review bombing. This occurs when large numbers of negative reviews are posted in a short time frame, often driven by political or ideological motives rather than genuine user experience. Such attacks distort public perception and can cause significant economic harm, particularly to small and medium-sized businesses. This paper presents a decentralized review platform architecture designed to enhance fairness, transparency, and resistance to manipulation. The system leverages Blockchain (BC) technology to enforce a one-NFT-one-review policy, in which each review is linked to a unique Non-Fungible Token (NFT) representing the user’s right to post. To ensure real-world authenticity, the platform incorporates a Proof-of-Visit mechanism using timelimited QR codes displayed on-site. Only users who scan the QR code at a physical location are authorized to mint the NFT. A prototype was implemented using CosmJS, CW721 smart contracts, and Keplr wallet integration, and deployed on the Neutron testnet. Empirical evaluation shows that the total cost for a complete review submission-including NFT minting and review posting-is approximately 0.012845 NTRN ($\approx$ ${\$}$ 0.00257${\$}$ USD), confirming the system’s economic feasibility. By addressing both the social dynamics of review bombing and the technical limitations of centralized platforms, this study proposes a scalable and cost-effective BC-based architecture for secure, verifiable, and tamper-resistant online review systems.