MIT's Bitcoin-Inspired 'Enigma' Lets Computers Mine Encrypted Data

Guy Zyskind, Oz Nathan, and the MIT Media Lab have developed a system to encrypt data in a way that it can still be shared and used without being decrypted. "To keep track of who owns what data—and where any given data’s pieces have been distributed—Enigma stores that metadata in the bitcoin blockchain, the unforgeable record of messages copied to thousands of computers to prevent counterfeit and fraud in the bitcoin economy." Enigma needs a fairly large base of users to operate securely, so its creators have proposed requiring a fee for anyone who wants data processed in this way. That fee would then be split among the users doing the processing. Those with encrypted datasets on the Enigma network could also sell access to datamining operations without letting the miners see the unencrypted data.

Comments

Hmm...

[Anonymous Coward]

Kind of confusing summary? If I'm reading the article correctly...

They found a way to distribute a computationally expensive technique known as homomorphic encryption using some of the technology we already use with bitcoins. The homomorphic encryption technique itself allows you to perform calculations on/with encrypted data without ever decrypting it.

What's the next project?

[circletimessquare]

Ultra?

I'm joking of course but considering the historical significance of the name Enigma as a cypher that was spectacularly hacked to divulge crucial war secrets, it might not have been the best PR to call their project that name.

Rename.