LIBR

A Moderated, Censorship-Resilient Digital Forum 📢🚫

Key Features • Installation • Documentation • Contributing

🔄 Overview

LIBR is a decentralized messaging platform that combines blockchain principles with content moderation to create a secure, distributed communication system. Built with Go for backend services and React for the user interface, LIBR provides a robust framework for verified message exchange with cryptographic proof of moderation and authenticity.

🔐 Key Features

• Decentralized Messaging 🌐: Exchange messages across a distributed network with cryptographic verification.
• Content Moderation 🪖: Multi-level content moderation with configurable thresholds for different categories of inappropriate content.
• Signature Verification ✅: Messages are cryptographically signed by both users and moderators, ensuring authenticity and approval.
• Distributed Architecture 🧰: Multiple moderator nodes validate content independently to prevent censorship and single points of failure.
• Cryptographic Security 🔒: RSA-based cryptography for message signing and verification.
• Time-Based Message Bucketing ⏰: Messages are grouped into time buckets for efficient retrieval and organization.

🚀 Note: LIBR is designed for environments where content moderation is necessary while maintaining the benefits of decentralization. It's ideal for educational institutions, private organizations, and communities seeking a balance between free expression and responsible content management.

⚙️ Prerequisites

• Go (v1.16 or higher)
• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• Google Cloud Platform API key (for content moderation services)
• npm or yarn package manager

🚀 Running the System

1. Start moderator nodes:

cd modules/mod
./mod
# Default port is 4000, can be configured in .env

2. Start client application:

cd modules/client
go run .

3. Start UI application:

cd modules/UI
npm start

📂 API Endpoints

🔧 Moderator Service

🔒 Content Moderation

Send a message for moderation approval.

curl -X POST http://localhost:4000/moderate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "message": "Your message content here",
    "timestamp": "1681234567"
  }'

📊 Response Format

{
  "public_key": "moderator_public_key",
  "sign": "digital_signature_of_approved_content"
}

📲 Client Service

📢 Send Message

Submit a new message to the network.

# Endpoint implementation details in client module

📃 Retrieve Messages

Get messages from a specific time bucket.

# Endpoint implementation details in client module

🚧 System Architecture

LIBR consists of several interconnected modules:

1. Moderator Nodes 🔧: Analyze message content for inappropriate material using Google Cloud Natural Language API.
2. Client Module 📡: Handles message creation, interaction with moderators, and storage operations.
3. Core Module 🔄: Provides cryptographic functions, configuration management, and blockchain interfaces.
4. UI Module 🎨: User interface for interacting with the messaging platform.
5. Storage Layer 📂: Distributed storage system for persisting signed messages.

🕵️‍ Content Moderation

LIBR supports customizable content moderation:

• Currently implemented using Google Cloud Natural Language API
• User-dependent moderation that can be customized based on needs
• Multiple moderation categories supported (toxic content, insults, profanity, etc.)
• Users can implement their own moderation services or use the provided API

To modify moderation settings, users can edit the configuration in the file:

modules/mod/config.go

📚 Contributing

1. Fork the repository to start working on your changes.
2. Create a feature branch.
3. Commit your changes.
4. Push to the branch.
5. Create a Pull Request to merge your changes.

🌐 License

This project is licensed under the terms of the MIT license. See LICENSE for more details.

👨‍💼 Team

LIBR is developed by the DALDA team at IIT Jodhpur. 🎓🌟