Zero knowledge reputation service

• US 10,243,964 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kraemer, James R., Linton, Jeb R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Thanh H
• Application Number:
  US15/258,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20180069849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3218 using proof of knowledge, e.g. Fiat-Shamir, GQ, Schnorr, ornon-interactive zero-knowledge proofs

Abstract

A reputation service running on a server, for example as a cloud server, includes receiving a request from a first user device and a second user device. The reputation management for both internet services and service providers, as well as the individuals who provide reputation feedback on those services and providers and each other. The service operates in zero-knowledge verifiable computing in order to enable strong assurance of anonymity among all participating parties. The method includes receiving, from a user using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a rating with a unique token associated with the user, and identifier of a party to be rated. The party in one example is a person or a business entity. The unique token in one example is one or more of a tax identifier, an e-passport, or a private key of a DNS Domain registered with a certificate authority.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method on computing platform for providing a reputation service, comprising:

receiving, from a user using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a rating with a unique token associated with the user, and identifier of a party to be rated, wherein the unique token is previously created on a zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform associated with a certificate authority that receives a private key of the user and personally identifiable information of the user and the unique token is signed by the certificate authority without revealing an identify of the user;

confirming the unique token is signed by the certificate authority and is associated with the user; and

in response to confirming the unique token is associated with the user, updating a rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the updating of the rating being successful, sending to the user an acknowledgment using the zero-knowledge protocol.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the unique token is selected from the group consisting of a tax identifier, an e-passport, and a private key of a DNS Domain registered with a certificate authority.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the party is a business entity.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the updating the rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing includes applying a weighting factor to the rating, and wherein the weighting factor is selected from the group consisting of

a relative strength of the rating,

an identified group of tokens in which the unique token is a member, and

a frequency of ratings for the party from the unique token associated with the user.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the updating the rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing includes applying a weighting factor to the rating, and wherein the weighting factor is dependent on a composite set of quantities of the party within a given context.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the composite set of quantities of the party within a given context is selected from the group consisting of a position of the party within an association, and a size of an association in which the party is a member.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the association is selected from the group consisting of:

buyers of a service or product, sellers of a service or product, service providers, service consumers, an ideological association, and a political association.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a query from another user of the party, the query including a composite set of qualities associated with the party, and searching the rating of the party;

adjusting the rating of the party based upon the composite set of qualities received as part of the query.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a cryptocurrency from the another user for information regarding the party.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the reputation service is provided as a service in a cloud environment.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the certificate authority is provided as a service in a cloud environment.

13. A system for providing a reputation service, comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, where the processor is configured to perform;

receiving, from a user using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a rating with a unique token associated with the user, and identifier of a party to be rated, wherein the unique token is previously created on a zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform associated with a certificate authority that receives a private key of the user and personally identifiable information of the user and the unique token is signed by the certificate authority without revealing an identify of the user;

confirming the unique token is signed by the certificate authority and is associated with the user; and

in response to confirming the unique token is associated with the user, updating a rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

in response to the updating of the rating being successful, sending to the user an acknowledgment using the zero-knowledge protocol.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the unique token is selected from the group consisting of a tax identifier, an e-passport, and a private key of a DNS Domain registered with a certificate authority.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the party is a business entity.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the updating the rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing includes applying a weighting factor to the rating, and wherein the weighting factor is selected from the group consisting of

a relative strength of the rating,

an identified group of tokens in which the unique token is a member, and

a frequency of ratings for the party from the unique token associated with the user.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the updating the rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing further comprises applying a weighting factor to the rating, and wherein the weighting factor is selected from the group consisting of:

a relative strength of rating on a scale from negative to positive, an identified group of tokens in which the unique token is a member, and a frequency of ratings for the party from the unique token associated with the user.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the updating the rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing includes applying a weighting factor to the rating, and wherein the weighting factor is dependent on a composite set of quantities of the party within a given context.

20. A computer program product for providing a reputation service, comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions embodied therewith, the computer readable program instructions configured to cause a computer to:

receiving, from a user using a zero-knowledge protocol to ensure privacy of the user, a rating with a unique token associated with the user, and identifier of a party to be rated, wherein the unique token is previously created on a zero-knowledge verifiable computing platform associated with a certificate authority that receives a private key of the user and personally identifiable information of the user and the unique token is signed by the certificate authority without revealing an identify of the user;

confirming the unique token is signed by the certificate authority and is associated with the user; and

in response to confirming the unique token is associated with the user, updating a rating of the party using zero-knowledge verifiable computing.