Re: [saag] [Cfrg] Homomorphic Encryption Standardization – Side Meeting

[Phillip Hallam-Baker <[e-mail]>]

On Wed, Mar 25, 2020 at 5:03 PM Yaron Sheffer <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Apologies for cross-posting.
>
> Dear IETFers,
>
> We would like to introduce the work of the Homomorphic Encryption
> Standardization consortium [1] to the IETF and IRTF community, and solicit
> feedback about the next steps to standardize this encryption technology.
> This was originally intended as an IETF-107 side meeting, instead we will
> hold it as a virtual meeting the week after IETF-107.
>
> Date/time: Tue March 31, 10:00-11:00 PST, 13:00-14:00 EST, 17:00-18:00
> UTC, 20:00-21:00 IL.
>

I would like to see this brought into IRTF as soon as possible either as
part of CFRG or as a separate effort.

Right now the canon of commercial cryptography uses only the primitives
developed up to 1990 (hash chains). I am currently trying to persuade
people to make use of threshold cryptography techniques that were developed
in the mid 90s. We need to get out of the habit of waiting 25 years for new
cryptographic primitives to mature before we start looking at them.

We should stop asking 'does anyone need this' and instead ask 'is this
useful'.

The other reason for bringing it into IRTF is that we really do need a
clear IPR regime or else things can get ugly and efforts can stall.