MP3 Fair Exchange Implementation Based on Reversible Degradation

This article presents a fair exchange practical implementation method for digital MP3 audio files using the reversible degradation concept. In this work, the reversible degradation algorithm is based on the 8-bit symbol systematic Reed-Solomon error correction code. This implementation algorithm is proposed for MP3 e-goods fair exchange to prevent mistaken delivery of digital items. Reversible degradation on MP3 files generates an audio file preserving its audible and meaningful properties, which makes this method a fair exchange implementation that does not require a third party judgment. If the customer is authorized to get the full version of the degraded and recognizable MP3 file, a Reed-Solomon redundancy file is sent from the provider to the customer to retrieve the original MP3 file. The transmission of the Reed-Solomon redundancy bytes, instead of the original MP3 file, saves up to 95.91%, 97.27%, and 98.36% data in the transit link for 128Kbps, 192Kbps, and 320Kbps MP3 bitrates, respectively. The architecture structure is evaluated to show the prototype feasibility.