Secure blockchain-based consensus

A computer-implemented method comprising:

• broadcasting a transaction, by a node in a blockchain network, to a congress pool
• to join a congress formed of a group of nodes;
• after the congress has accepted a request from a requester to activate a script, preparing, by the node, a blockchain transaction cryptographically locked with a public key associated with the congress pool, the blockchain transaction configured to permit a plurality of information providing systems to add inputs to the blockchain transaction, wherein the inputs include respective proof of solution data;
• generating, after the inputs have been added to the blockchain transaction, by the node in cooperation with other nodes of the group, a valid-cryptographic signature for the blockchain transaction to unlock the blockchain transaction, the cryptographic signature generated by the node cooperating with the other nodes of the congress using a plurality of private key shares, wherein each private key share of the plurality of private key shares is generated within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) of an individual node of the congress;
• after the transaction has been unlocked, receiving data from the plurality of information providing systems;
• determining, by the node, whether the data received from at least one of the information providing systems corresponds with a committed solution based on the respective proof of solution data;
• wherein in response to determining that the data received from the at least one of the information providing systems does correspond with a committed solution based on the respective proof of solution data, the method further comprises:
• determining a centre point for the data received from the plurality of information providing systems;
• and
• activating, by the node in cooperation with the other nodes of the congress, the script based on the centre point;
• discarding, in response to determining that the data received from the at least one of the information providing systems does not correspond with a committed solution based on the respective proof of solution data, the data;
• detecting a corrupted node within one of the plurality of nodes of the congress;
• and
• setting a valid cryptographic signature to require greater than or equal to half of the plurality of private key shares when a corrupted node has been detected.