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Proof-of-Metadata 🎵📜

Introduction

Proof-of-Metadata (PoM) is the consensus mechanism that governs the certification of metadata on the Allfeat blockchain. Unlike traditional blockchain consensus models that validate transactions, PoM ensures the authenticity, accuracy, and reliability of metadata recorded on-chain. By leveraging economic incentives and decentralized validation, PoM establishes a trusted framework where metadata is not only stored but certified as valuable and immutable.

How PoM Certifies Metadata 🏛️

PoM transforms metadata into a provable and economically backed asset by requiring submitters to stake collateral and go through a community validation process. This mechanism prevents spam, ensures data quality, and enhances the overall credibility of the Allfeat network.

Core Principles 🔑

  1. Consensus-Driven Certification – PoM acts as a decentralized consensus ensuring only valid metadata becomes permanently recorded.
  2. Economic Security – Data providers stake collateral to guarantee the integrity of their submissions.
  3. Decentralized Governance – The community of trusters verifies metadata before it becomes immutable.
  4. Immutable Certified Data – Once a MIDDS is certified, it cannot be removed, reinforcing its value.
  5. Reward-Based Participation – Contributors are incentivized through a reward pool, aligning economic interest with data accuracy.
  6. Reputation-Based Trust – A scoring system ensures reliable participants gain influence over the certification process.

📝 Submission & Certification Process

1️⃣ Submission

  • Any AFT holder can submit a MIDDS.
  • A fixed fee is required per submission.
  • The provider must stake a collateral deposit as a guarantee for the data.

2️⃣ Review Period (21 days) ⏳

  • Trusters (any user with AFT) can contest a MIDDS submission.
  • If a MIDDS receives enough "No" votes, it is invalidated and removed.
  • If no contestation occurs, the MIDDS is certified and becomes immutable.

3️⃣ Contestations & Challenges ⚖️

  • Trusters signal contestations without upfront cost (network fees excluded).
  • A threshold-based system determines the validity of a contestation.
  • Reputation influences the weight of a truster’s vote.
  • Invalid MIDDS result in the provider losing their staked collateral, which is moved to the reward pool.

4️⃣ Certification & Finalization ✅

  • If a MIDDS passes the review period, it is certified permanently.
  • The provider's collateral remains locked forever, ensuring data permanence and value.

🎁 Rewards & Reputation System

Reward Pool Distribution 💰

  • Tokens from the reward pool are distributed every X days.
  • Distribution is proportional to the total amount staked by providers.
  • Higher metadata contributions lead to higher rewards.

Reputation Mechanism 🌟

  • Providers: Gain points for successful submissions; higher reputation may lead to submission prioritization or reduced fees.
  • Trusters: Gain points for accurate contestations and valid votes; higher reputation increases vote weight.
  • No Negative Reputation: Users cannot lose points below their starting reputation, preventing circumvention through new address creation.

🚀 Future Considerations

  • Implementation of metadata edit proposals under the same certification mechanism.
  • Optimization of the contestation system to prevent abuse (Sybil attacks, false competitive challenges).
  • Evolution of the reputation model to balance contributions and contestations effectively.

By enforcing a strong economic and consensus model for metadata certification, PoM ensures that the Allfeat network remains the ultimate source of truth for music metadata. The following sections will explore each component in greater detail.