VRepChain: A Decentralized and Privacy-Preserving Reputation System for Social Internet of Vehicles Based on Blockchain

In the context of the social Internet of vehicles (SIoV), constructing reliable social relationships between dynamic and distributed entities is a challenging research problem. Rating-based reputation systems have been widely applied to assist human users in evaluating the honesty of target entities. However, the ratings in SIoV expose user privacy, including behavior, location, etc., which are required to be protected properly. Meanwhile, the blockchain technology with its distributed paradigm is potentially employed to protect information privacy. In this study, we propose the design of a blockchain-enabled reputation system named “VRepChain” for SIoV by especially considering the rating privacy issue. In our design, the ratings' privacy is strongly preserved in the processes of transmission and storage. The reputation of a vehicle is constructed based on the ratings with the agreement of the rating providers, ensuring the ratings are never abused by any other unauthorized entities during the usage process. Through experiments, the proposed system is demonstrated to improve the effectiveness of vehicles in terms of arriving at their destinations in a faster speed. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the constructed reputation model with untruthful ratings is extensively examined, showing its robustness and practicality in realistic applications.