Cryptographic Proof of Content for Voting Integrity and Privacy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for verifying the integrity and accuracy of information in electronic voting systems face usability issues, as they often require complex operations such as code comparisons or cryptographic calculations, which can be difficult for voters to perform, and may compromise sender privacy or anonymity.

Innovation Solution

A method that uses asymmetric cryptographic algorithms with deterministic properties to generate a proof of content from encrypted information, allowing senders to verify the integrity of received information without decrypting it, while preserving privacy, using techniques like ElGamal encryption and Schnorr Identification Protocol for zero-knowledge proofs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If digital signatures are used to verify information integrity, then information integrity is improved, but sender privacy is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation integrityVSAvoidsender privacy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The verification process is segmented into two independent parts: (1) the sender signs the plaintext information with their private key to create a digital signature, and (2) the receiver verifies the signature against the decrypted information. This segmentation allows integrity verification without requiring the receiver to know the sender's identity, thus preserving privacy while ensuring reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The digital signature acts as an intermediary mechanism that provides verification capability without directly exposing private information. The signature contains cryptographic proof of authenticity and integrity, but when properly implemented with public key infrastructure, it allows verification without revealing the sender's private key or sensitive personal information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If encryption is used to protect sender privacy, then sender privacy is improved, but information integrity verification becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesender privacyVSAvoidinformation integrity verification

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The sender performs preliminary actions by signing the plaintext information before encryption. This preliminary signing ensures that the integrity verification data is created when the information is still in readable form, allowing the receiver to later verify that the decrypted information matches the original signed content, thus maintaining both privacy and integrity verification capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of verifying integrity after decryption (which would expose private information), the system inverts the approach by having the sender sign the plaintext before encryption. The receiver then verifies the signature on the decrypted content, which proves integrity without requiring the receiver to have accessed the private key or personal information during the verification process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Measurement precision

If complex verification operations are required, then verification accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveverification accuracyVSAvoidverification ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The verification system is designed to be self-verifying through cryptographic proofs. The digital signature and verification process are structured so that the mathematical properties of cryptography automatically provide verification accuracy without requiring complex manual operations. The receiver simply needs to perform a standard verification algorithm, and the cryptographic mathematics itself ensures accuracy, making the process both accurate and relatively easy to operate.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP2509050B1Method for verifying the correct registration of an item of information

Publication Date: 2022.09.21 SCYTL ELECTION TECH SL

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Figure 3a~3b

AI summary

The method for verifying that the information from a sender has been correctly recorded in a receiving entity, while preserving the sender privacy, comprises the following steps: a) A sender information being encoded and sent to the receiver entity; b) The receiver entity generating a proof of content based on the information encoded in step a), and sending the proof of content to the sender entity; and c) The sender verifying that the proof of content corresponds with the encoded information.