Public Information Trust System

Project description

The Public Information Trust System (PITS) project explores how blockchain-supported integrity verification mechanisms can be integrated into digital communication systems to improve trust, transparency, and provenance of public information.

The central design challenge of the project was to develop a proof-of-concept system capable of independently verifying whether digital information has remained unchanged after publication while maintaining usability and scalability. The project specifically investigated how cryptographic hashing, provenance tracking, and blockchain-based trust anchoring could function together within a hybrid architecture without requiring sensitive content to be stored directly on-chain.

The project additionally explored how trust-oriented verification workflows could complement AI-enabled communication systems and support more transparent digital public communication infrastructures.

The central design challenge of the project was to develop a proof-of-concept system capable of independently verifying whether digital information has remained unchanged after publication while maintaining usability and scalability. The project specifically explored how cryptographic hashing, provenance tracking, and blockchain-based trust anchoring could function together within a hybrid architecture without requiring sensitive content to be stored directly on-chain.

In addition to the technical implementation, the project investigated how trust-oriented verification workflows could complement AI-enabled communication systems and contribute to more transparent and verifiable public communication infrastructures.

Context

The project was developed within the context of digital public communication and AI-assisted information systems. Governments and public institutions increasingly rely on digital platforms and artificial intelligence to distribute information, manage communication processes, and interact with the public at large scale. While these technologies improve accessibility and operational efficiency, they also introduce challenges related to misinformation, authenticity, provenance, and public trust.

The PITS project was developed in collaboration with BRIN (National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia) as part of a broader research initiative focused on AI governance and trustworthy communication systems. Within this broader context, the project specifically focused on integrity verification and provenance tracking through blockchain-supported trust mechanisms.

The domain of the project combines elements of digital governance, cybersecurity, blockchain technology, and public communication infrastructure. The system was designed as a proof-of-concept platform that enables cryptographic registration and independent verification of digital information without functioning as a content management or moderation system.

Results

The primary outcome of the project was the development of a functional proof-of-concept prototype for the Public Information Trust System (PITS). The system demonstrates how blockchain-supported integrity verification can be integrated into a modern web-based communication environment through a modular hybrid architecture.

The developed prototype supports workflows for:

• digital document registration
• cryptographic hash generation
• blockchain-supported trust anchoring
• provenance registration
• and independent verification of uploaded content

The project additionally resulted in:

• a modular service-oriented system architecture
• frontend and backend integration
• authentication workflows using Keycloak
• database-supported provenance storage
• blockchain interaction for integrity verification
• and validation of upload and verification workflows through testing activities

Beyond the technical implementation, the project also contributed conceptual insights related to trust-oriented communication systems, provenance tracking, and hybrid verification architectures. A conceptual white paper was produced alongside the prototype, exploring how AI-assisted communication systems can integrate independent trust and verification mechanisms within public communication environments.

From a TRL (Technology Readiness Level) perspective, the project can be positioned as an early-stage prototype demonstrating technical feasibility within a controlled development environment. The system successfully validated core architectural concepts and verification workflows, while also identifying future opportunities related to scalability, governance integration, and production-level deployment.

About the project group

The project group consisted of ICT students from different technical backgrounds and semesters, including frontend development, backend engineering, blockchain integration, system architecture, and research-oriented software development. The project was carried out over the course of one semester in collaboration with BRIN as part of a broader research initiative related to trustworthy digital communication systems.

The team worked using an iterative and collaborative approach based on the DOT (Development Oriented Triangulation) framework. Responsibilities were divided according to specialization areas while maintaining regular communication regarding integration, architecture decisions, and stakeholder requirements. Development activities included conceptual research, architectural design, prototyping, implementation, testing, and validation. GitHub was used for version control, collaboration, and project management throughout development.