Privacy-Preserving User Data Verification with Homomorphic Encryption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing smart contract systems fail to provide privacy preservation during user data verification, as they often require revealing sensitive personal information or tamper-prone data, raising concerns about user privacy and data integrity.

Innovation Solution

A method involving homomorphic encryption and digital signatures is employed to encrypt and sign user data at a tamper-proof device, allowing aggregation and verification at an external server without revealing plaintext data, using a predefined logic to ensure data validity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If user data is revealed to external entity for verification, then data validity can be verified, but user privacy is violated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata validity verificationVSAvoiduser privacy violation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces encrypted data as an intermediary form between the original user data and the external entity. The user device encrypts the user data before transmission, and the external entity works with the encrypted version through homomorphic operations. This intermediary encrypted form allows verification without revealing the plaintext user data, thus resolving the contradiction between verification reliability and privacy protection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the state of user data from plaintext to encrypted form using homomorphic encryption. This parameter change allows the data to maintain mathematical properties needed for verification while transforming it into an unreadable format for the external entity. The encrypted data can undergo computations while preserving the ability to verify results without ever exposing the original user data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-affected harmful factors

If user data is encrypted before transmission, then user privacy is preserved, but data validity verification becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser privacy protectionVSAvoiddata validity verification
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces traditional plaintext verification mechanisms with homomorphic encryption-based verification. Instead of verifying data in its original form, the system uses cryptographic operations on encrypted data to achieve verification. The external entity can perform computations on encrypted data and compare results without ever decrypting the user data, thus maintaining both privacy and verification capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Ease of operation

If plaintext user data is used for verification, then verification process is simple, but data integrity cannot be ensured against tampering

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveverification process simplicityVSAvoiddata integrity against tampering
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary encryption and signing actions to the user data before any verification occurs. The user device encrypts the data and attaches digital signatures that verify the data's integrity and authenticity. This preliminary cryptographic processing ensures that even if the data were tampered with during transmission or storage, the verification process would detect the tampering through the signatures and encryption properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Ensures privacy preservation by allowing verification of user data validity without exposing sensitive information, ensuring data integrity and trust between users and external entities.

Implementation Method 1

generating encrypted user data by homomorphically encrypting user data

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHomomorphic encryption:

Implementation Method 2

generating digitally signed encrypted user data by signing the encrypted user data

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDigital signature:

Data Source

PatentEP4122152B1Privacy preserving verification of user data
Publication Date: 2025.07.16 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP4122152B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4122152B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4122152B1 patent drawingFigure 3a

AI summary

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method. The method comprises, at a first user device, receiving user data from a tamper-proof second user device. Further, the method comprises, at the first user device, aggregating the user data according to a first logic and transmitting the aggregated user data and the user data to an external server. The method further comprises, at the external server, verifying whether the first logic, by which the aggregated user data and the user data are related to each other, corresponds to a predefined second logic for verifying a validity of the aggregated user data.