IBM Claims Breakthrough In Analysis of Encrypted Data

An anonymous reader writes "An IBM researcher has solved a thorny mathematical problem that has confounded scientists since the invention of public-key encryption several decades ago. The breakthrough, called 'privacy homomorphism,' or 'fully homomorphic encryption,' makes possible the deep and unlimited analysis of encrypted information — data that has been intentionally scrambled — without sacrificing confidentiality." Reader ElasticVapor writes that the solution IBM claims "might better enable a cloud computing vendor to perform computations on clients' data at their request, such as analyzing sales patterns, without exposing the original data. Other potential applications include enabling filters to identify spam, even in encrypted email, or protecting information contained in electronic medical records."

Comments

logic?

[poetmatt]

Apparently the logic is missed altogether:
"makes possible the deep and unlimited analysis of encrypted information - data that has been intentionally scrambled - without sacrificing confidentiality." is a conflicting phrase in and of itself.

If you can analyze the data "with or without confidentiality", you have already sacrificed the confidentiality. Or does nobody remember the aol search results fiasco?

This is more like "we can crack our own encrpytion, as if people are surprised".

thanks, but no

[JackSpratts]

ok, so if your sales are tanking your competitors can analyse your encrypted offsite data to find out your sales are tanking. that about it?

up to you but i'll pass.