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New Framework Introduces Secure Digital Consent Process

New Framework Introduces Secure Digital Consent Process

/ 4 min read

Quick take - A new paper presents a framework for cryptographically secure digital consent that aims to enhance trust and security in online third-party services by replicating traditional consent processes in a digital environment, featuring components such as a Client, Identity Manager, and Agent, while addressing privacy and security challenges.

Fast Facts

  • A new framework for cryptographically secure digital consent aims to enhance trust and security in online services, replicating traditional consent processes in a digital environment.
  • It consists of three components: the Client (user/device), Identity Manager (IdM) for authentication, and Agent for executing actions post-consent, simplifying key management by requiring only a password from the Client.
  • The framework addresses privacy and security challenges, ensuring non-repudiable consent and preventing unauthorized actions, while maintaining security even if either the IdM or Agent is compromised.
  • It supports various authentication factors and includes a dispute protocol for verifying questionable actions, with applications in digital document signing and banking transactions.
  • The protocol employs advanced cryptographic techniques and is compatible with existing identity management systems, requiring minimal modifications for integration.

New Framework for Cryptographically Secure Digital Consent

A new paper introduces a comprehensive framework for cryptographically secure digital consent, aimed at enhancing trust and security in online third-party services. This framework is designed to replicate traditional consent processes in a digital environment, addressing various use cases while ensuring the integrity of the consent process.

Framework Components

The framework consists of three main components: the Client, the Identity Manager (IdM), and the Agent.

  • Client: Represents the user or their devices and is responsible for issuing consent.
  • Identity Manager (IdM): Tasked with authenticating the Client’s identity.
  • Agent: Executes actions on behalf of the Client after receiving consent.

A key feature of the design is that the Client only needs to remember a password, which simplifies key management. Several privacy and security challenges are addressed by the framework, including the prevention of offline dictionary attacks, assurance of non-repudiable consent, and prevention of unauthorized actions by the Agent. Notably, the system maintains security even if either the IdM or the Agent is compromised, but not both.

The digital consent process is divided into two phases: enrollment and consent generation.

  1. Enrollment Phase: The Client registers with the Agent using a password, creating a binding contract that defines the consent verification process.
  2. Consent Generation Phase: The Client authenticates with the IdM, which verifies the Client’s consent before the Agent can act.

Importantly, the framework prevents the IdM from initiating actions without the Client’s consent and restricts the Agent from acting independently without valid consent. In addition to these core features, the framework includes a dispute protocol to verify questionable actions and offers an optional backend trusted component to enhance security.

Applications and Security Features

Applications of this framework are diverse and include digital document signing, where the Agent can sign on behalf of the Client while maintaining logs for dispute resolution. It is also applicable in bank transactions, where the Agent acts as the Client’s bank and logs all transactions for accountability.

The framework facilitates key recovery, allowing clients to securely retrieve keys without relying on personal devices, ensuring that a malicious server cannot access keys without the Client’s consent. The IdM can incorporate multiple authentication factors, including secure hardware and biometric systems.

The protocol employs additively homomorphic commitments and zero-knowledge proofs (NIZK) to secure the consent process, assuming secure communication channels, such as TLS, between all parties involved. Importantly, the IdM and Agent do not retain long-term information about the Client, while the Agent maintains logs of consent pairs to support potential disputes.

Overall, the framework offers a secure and adaptable digital consent mechanism suitable for various online applications, achieving compatibility with OpenID Connect (OIDC) and existing JSON Web Token (JWT) systems, requiring minimal modifications for integration.

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