Methods and systems for freezing digital assets

A computer-implemented method of freezing digital assets at mining nodes in a blockchain network, wherein each of the mining nodes includes one or more processors and memory, the method comprising:

• generating a freeze request message at a freeze administration service, the freeze request message including one or more digital asset identifiers;
• transmitting the freeze request message to a plurality of the mining nodes;
• receiving and validating acceptance messages in reply to the freeze request message from a set of the plurality of the mining nodes, each acceptance message being associated with one mining node in the set of the plurality of mining nodes;
• determining that the set of the plurality of the mining nodes represent more than a consensus threshold quantity of hash power in the blockchain network;
• and
• in response, generating and sending a freeze order to the plurality of mining nodes to cause rejection of new blocks containing transactions that use any of the one or more digital asset identifiers.

A computing device for freezing digital assets at a mining node in a blockchain network, the computing device including:

• one or more processors;
• memory;
• computer-executable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processors to:
• receive and validate a freeze request message from a freeze administration service, the freeze request message including one or more digital asset identifiers;
• add the one or more digital asset identifiers to a pending blacklist stored at the mining node, wherein new transactions received over the blockchain network that include identifiers on the pending blacklist are rejected by the mining node but new blocks received over the blockchain network that include identifiers on the pending blacklist are acceptable;
• receive and validate a freeze order from the freeze administration service, the freeze order identifying the freeze request message;
• and
• responsive to the freeze order, add the one or more digital asset identifiers to a consensus blacklist, wherein subsequent transactions that include identifiers on the consensus blacklist and subsequent blocks that include identifiers on the consensus blacklist are both rejected by the mining node.

A tangible computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions for freezing digital assets at a mining node in a blockchain network, the processor-executable instructions including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the processors to:

• receive and validate a freeze request message from a freeze administration service, the freeze request message including one or more digital asset identifiers;
• add the one or more digital asset identifiers to a pending blacklist stored at the mining node, wherein new transactions received over the blockchain network that include identifiers on the pending blacklist are rejected by the mining node but new blocks received over the blockchain network that include identifiers on the pending blacklist are acceptable;
• receive and validate a freeze order from the freeze administration service, the freeze order identifying the freeze request message;
• and
• responsive to the freeze order, add the one or more digital asset identifiers to a consensus blacklist, wherein subsequent transactions that include identifiers on the consensus blacklist and subsequent blocks that include identifiers on the consensus blacklist are both rejected by the mining node.

A computing device freezing digital assets at mining nodes in a blockchain network, the computing device including:

• one or more processors;
• memory;
• computer-executable instructions stored in the memory that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processors to:
• generate a freeze request message at a freeze administration service, the freeze request message including one or more digital asset identifiers;
• transmit the freeze request message to a plurality of the mining nodes;
• receive and validate acceptance messages in reply to the freeze request message from a set of the plurality of the mining nodes, each acceptance message being associated with one mining node in the set of the plurality of mining nodes;
• determine that the set of the plurality of the mining nodes represent more than a consensus threshold quantity of hash power in the blockchain network;
• and
• in response, generate and send a freeze order to the plurality of mining nodes to cause rejection of new blocks containing transactions that use any of the one or more digital asset identifiers.