Armanesia Blockchain System: Blockchain and IFPS-Based Archive System Prototype

The field of archival science as any other information processing disciplines (library, documentation, gallery, and museum), epistemologically and practically, is affected by the acceleration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) growth and the ongoing information revolution. ICT drives the development of this science because it is a field whose core methodological and axiological concern is processing information. This ICT existence has even changed the constellation of thinking and reasoning in this field in which information that has been interpreted merely as foundational materials in the development of knowledge (epistemic) became information organisms (inforg) that have ontological equivalence. The reasoning gap in interpreting this information, according to Floridi (2013), requires a radical change in viewing and interpreting reality (re-ontology). The interpretation of reality that has been associated with nature, humans, and other ontos has changed extremely to the understanding of ontos as information. Information as reality, submitted by Floridi (2013), becomes the epistemological basis for developing a philosophical narrative of information. Floridi, in the next stage presents philosophical arguments related to his view which considers information as an ontological and epistemological matter. This view is expressed in his books: The Philosophy of Information (Floridi, 2011) and The Ethics of Information (Floridi, 2013). When information is viewed from the ontological perspective as an information organism that has the same position and place as other organisms, then information by itself has intrinsic value. A value entitled to moral appreciation because of its existence and essence. It means there is no information that, with any reason and justification, is damaged or removed from the ecosystem (infosphere). In this context, Floridi wants to offer ontological pluralism as the conceptual foundation of a science. In the context of archive, the life cycles model which views archives as an entity that has a cycle from creation to demolition and only keeps records of useful value is clearly not in line with Floridi's view. Because, in the life cycle, archives are interpreted as material artifacts which when of value deserve to be stored and if not, deserve to be destroyed. This means that, epistemically, these narrative views that archives as information can only be embedded with extrinsic values where a value is built based on human needs. When useful to humans, all entities are preserved, but if they are no longer useful, they are valid to be destroyed. Thus, value builds solely on usability. The view of utility value in archive management in the current context is clearly not in line with the information management ecosystem. Archives are information objects which in themselves contain not only their utility value. Rather, the inalienable primary value known as intrinsic value. In the context of digital revolution, archives can be interpreted as digital data (Floridi, 2002; 2007; (National Archives and Records Administration, 1982). In the concept of Big Data, digital data represents the argument and strengthens the justification that data existence and essence should not be perturbed. This is because data in the NBIC ecosystem (nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive science) is the foundational material supporting the technology's smooth operation. As a dynamic discipline, because archival science is a multi/interdisciplinary field, a shift in epistemological and axiological perspective is necessary. Thus, multi perspectives, traditions, metatheories, and methodologies are commonplace in scientific development. This kind of flexibility expands the epistemic movement of this science in accepting and adapting any changes that occur. Floridi's view of ontological equivalence finds its place in the context of blockchain technology. This technology assumes that data will never be removed because of the existence of data that is networked with other data (immutable). A distributed system also requires the security of data stored in nodes that run in conjunction and synchronicity (Lemieux, 2019). Blockchain technology has become a hot topic discussed recently in the archival community. Creating a workflow that is trusted to verify the authenticity of a document is a challenge in archival science. The application of blockchain technology started in 2008 with the introduction of the digital currency, Bitcoin, which is known as Cryptocurrency (Kernahan et al., 2021). Aside from the controversy surrounding the legitimacy of Bitcoin as a digital currency, the technological basis of Bitcoin that is blockchain has qualities that are applied in various industries, mainly archives management, due to its nature of transparency and recording every activity. The archives industry has the principles of being accurate, reliable, and authentic. However, often what is found in the implementation scope is not following the principles of being accurate, reliable, and authentic. Various factors make the archival fieldwork not following the principles. Among them is the inappropriate use of access through the archive information system owned by an organization, incompatibility of user authority, redundant documents, and problems with media and storage space. The unsystematic management of archives can cause archives and data stored after creation to be unkempt, lost, or even unwantedly copied (forgery). The requirement for a sustainable and effective system must be started with the initial problems. To solve these issues, Armanesia is a public/private distributed ledger-based archival information system application. The notion of Armanesia is an application that can be utilized for archiving purposes in various industries, including government archives, banking, supply-chain management, oil and gas, energy, and the academic sector.

This paper use System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) to build a prototype of Armanesia’s system by adopting open-source technology. Kinds of literature related to blockchain technology and the implementation of blockchain in records and archives management were reviewed to create a conceptual framework of Armanesia. The concept building, as well as the experiment of prototype building of Armanesia’s system, is expected to find a basic concept, workflow, and system wireframe of blockchain-based records and archives management system and interplanetary file system as a solution of trust issues in the field of archival.

The blockchain system concept consists of a social, data/archive, and technical layer. These three layers have points that determine the sustainability of the archive and blockchain ecosystem. The fundamental underlying the Armanesia system is the Three-layer trust model of blockchain technology adopted from Lemieux (Victoria Louise Lemieux, 2018). Figure 1. Armanesia fundamentals (Lemieux, 2018) Figure 1 is a design diagram consisting of three main layers that form the blockchain ecosystem, covering the technical, social, and archival domains that enable blockchain to operate as a system of trust. Therefore, blockchain design is said to depend on three interacting “layers of trust”: the social layer, the layer in which social actors interact with each other and determine how much information they need, and in a customized form (for example, by convention, how much from the blockchain system and how much from other sources outside the system) to be able to trust and take action based on trust. A data layer, that supplies the information that social actors have decided they need from the blockchain system to give them the confidence to act. The technical layer, the technical means by which social actors interact and create, store, and obtain information about those interactions as untameable and undeniable evidence of facts about actions (Victoria Louise Lemieux, 2018). Each of these layers works together, intending to achieve trusted transactions. Blockchain technology has good compliance features with practical permanence. When data is saved to the blockchain, it cannot be changed or deleted. This is one of the main features that allow blockchain to be used to move any digital asset. Armanesia attempts to solve problems for institutions that have historical records with low to high frequency, for example in the financial and regulators sectors. Keeping a single permanent shared record on the blockchain reduces the need for duplication, which can represent both space and process efficacy for an organization or government. This will also speed up the regulatory review process as there is no need for repeated reconciliations. A business unit can monitor regulatory updates and update its records based on the Armanesia blockchain regulations. Each compliance document can be recognized or dismissed based on regulations. Each approved document will be stored in a general ledger and can be shared and verified as needed. Blockchain uses decentralized data storage, which has advantages over centralization in terms of security and efficiency. In Figure 2 an example diagram is given as an analogy of centralization and decentralization. Centralization carries the concept of data storage that is dependent on third parties. Data from a user is stored in third-party storage. Therefore, the user will have to trust the third party fully. The risk is that if any stored data is taken over by users who do not have the authority/permission, data leaks or hacking can occur. But in blockchain technology, users will place their data on the decentralized storage concept. It will be challenging for hackers to map the database that is being stored if they attempt to steal or alter data within the blockchain ecosystem. Because each piece of data will be checked in the blocks that are available on each node in the event of theft or database alterations. Figure 2. Concept of Centralization and Decentralization Data Storage (figure by authors)Files, data, and archives can be easily removed and verified using one of the features in the Armanesia system, namely a ledger or what is known as a general ledger. An authority or an organization can issue a certificate and provide users with a receipt that they can share with any third party to prove the certificate's authenticity and the document. When a third party receives a receipt (in the form of a specific ID), they can easily check its authenticity in the Armanesia general ledger. Armanesia will provide the following features: 1) Transparency. Both parties interested in viewing the credentials of a document can view them on the user-customized Armanesia blockchain. This ensures that only authorized people can decide who has access to this information. 2) Immutability. Blockchain is the most secure source for storing information today. They depend on network integrity to ensure the authenticity of stored information. Thus, documents stored on the blockchain cannot be changed. 3) Using the latest storage network protocol – IPFS Technology. Armanesia's first step in developing a blockchain ecosystem. IPFS is a new storage protocol technology that has better features than independent HTTP. 4) Continuum Storage Model. Information and documents stored on the Armanesia blockchain use a continuum archive cycle, which means the stored information will never be recycled to maintain authenticity and track record since the information was created. 5) Disintermediation. Using the Armanesia blockchain to store and share document credentials to help go through the need for a central controlling authority that manages and maintains records. This makes the entirety of the credential storage process more trustworthy as there are no intermediaries or third parties involved that might be able to manipulate the data/information/documents/archive. 6) Collaboration and Reliability. Once information is available on the Armanesia blockchain, it is much easier to assume ownership, and therefore safer to share information without fear of information being falsified. The making of the foundational technology of Armanesia using framework and programming language based on an open-source license. In simple terms, the workflow of Armanesia is depicted in Figure 3. Figure 3. Armanesia simple workflow (figure by author) Figure 4 shows layers or parts that form the Armanesia system. In this part, each process is explained as follows: Figure 4. Armanesia advanced workflow (figure by author) 1) Users begin to authenticate on the User App in order to make transactions to upload or download files. This collection of component functions is also known as the Application Layer which functions for various business process needs of users or organizations. In this application layer as a functional basis of the overall application benefit for industrial needs (such as health, military, monetary, academic, governance, etc.). This section can provide an API (Application Programming Interface) so that the application can connect with third parties if needed. The technology used to create the application layer can vary according to user needs, but the Armanesia standard uses ReactJS, JSON, and the PHP framework. 2) Users can upload files after a successful authentication process. The file types supported by Armanesia have standard supported formats, such as PDF, JPEG, PNG, DOCX, and ZIP. Other formats can be customized as needed. 3) The encryption process is immediately carried out by the application layer as soon as the user uploads the file. The type of encryption carried out in this phase uses SSL/TLS collaboration available on the webserver client. 4) If a superuser (organization) has a monetization or incentive model in its application, it will go through this process first. This part is called Incentive Layer 1. This is not an incentive reward from Proof of Stake if activated. 5) The file will be stored on a node (computer) that is connected to the IPFS network system. IPFS network can be configured and selected in both private and public networks. Each connected node will store the file separated from its own hash file. The percentage of file fractions will be determined by the IPFS system. To find which peer is hosting the searched content (discovery), IPFS uses a Distributed Hash Table or DHT. The hash table is a database of keys to values. A distributed hash table is a table that is shared across all peers in a distributed network. IPFS uses the SHA-256 hash type by default.6) The consensus layer uses Binance Smart Chain. Binance Smart Chain reaches approximately 3 seconds of block time using a Proof-of-Stake consensus algorithm. In particular, this uses something named Proof of Staked Authority (or PoSA), where participants put BNB at stake to become a validator. If they propose a valid block, they will receive a transaction fee from the transactions included in it. This process will later be connected to Incentive Layer 2. 7) After the verification stage is reached, the file will get a file address/cID which is stored in interconnected blocks. The following is an example of a cID generated from a file: Figure 5. File address/cID 8) The steps to download files are done by first identifying the file's cID. Users can select the file through human-readable text in the application layer. Once the file is selected, the system will verify the file consensus. 9) Once the file has been verified properly, then the next downloading process is the system will map the block ID in the blockchain. 10) The file saved in IPFS will approve of downloading. 11) The file will undergo a description process to be able to be used by the user. 12) The file is successfully downloaded to the user’s computer.

Armanesia's archival information system intends to introduce archive management technology using the blockchain ecosystem. The advantages of blockchain are, of course, the ability to meet the principles of archival science, which are accurate, reliable, and authentic, considering that blockchain has advantages in immutability and verification, which is currently very much needed by the archive and record industry. The fundamental underlying Armanesia is the Three-layer trust model of blockchain technology adopted from Lemieux, an archivist in the blockchain field. Armanesia can be utilized in various industrial fields, including agriculture, health care, education, and the military. Armanesia's development also largely depends on the archiving community from business, academia, and other fields to ensure that its capabilities and technological framework meet both present and future demands.