Method and system for the supply of data, transactions and electronic voting

• US 9,985,936 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dare, Peter Roy, Owlett, John, Tyabji, Imran F.
• Primary Examiner(s): KUCAB, JAMIE R
• Application Number:
  US14/174,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/463 Electronic voting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]

Abstract

A system and a computer program product are disclosed. The system is configured to generate a digital empowerment certificate of a voter. The digital empowerment certificate includes an indication of identification data that uniquely identifies the voter to the authentication body, references to sources for the identification data or the identification data itself, and an indication of a voting key. The system is further configured to sign the digital empowerment certificate with an electronic signature of the voter. Moreover, the system is configured to generate a voting message including a vote of the voter. In addition, the system is configured to generate a signature block combining the digital empowerment certificate and the voting message. Furthermore, the system is configured to send the encrypted digital empowerment certificate, the encrypted voting message, and the signature block to the authentication body.

Claims

1. A system for electronic voting including an authentication body, a counting body, and a plurality of voters, the system comprising one or more computing devices configured to:

generate a digital empowerment certificate of a voter, the digital empowerment certificate including;

an indication of identification data that uniquely identifies the voter to the authentication body,

references to one or more sources for the identification data or the identification data itself, and

an indication of a voting key;

sign the digital empowerment certificate with an electronic signature of the voter;

encrypt the digital empowerment certificate using a key of the authentication body only;

generate a voting message including a vote of the voter;

encrypt the voting message using a key of the counting body only;

generate a signature block linking the digital empowerment certificate and the voting message; and

send the encrypted digital empowerment certificate, the encrypted voting message, and the signature block to the authentication body.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

receive confirmation of the identification data from an external source; and

the digital empowerment certificate includes;

an indication of the identification data,

confirmation of the voter'"'"'s right to vote, and

references to one or more sources that can provide the identification data and the confirmation.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voting message includes an identifier applied by the voter to identify his vote.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voting message includes a random spoiler.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to combine a digest of the encrypted digital empowerment certificate and a digest of the encrypted voting message to form an integrity block.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

generate a digest of the integrity block; and

encrypt the digest of the integrity block.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the encrypting the digest of the integrity block comprises encrypting the digest of the integrity block using a private key of a public/private key pair of the voter, wherein the public/private key pair is also used to encrypt the signature block.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voting key is a public key of the public/private signature key pair that the voter used for voting.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

decrypt the digital empowerment certificate;

obtain the voting key;

decrypt the signature block;

link the encrypted digital empowerment certificate and the encrypted voting message using the same method as the voter; and

compare a result of combining the encrypted digital empowerment certificate and the encrypted voting message with the decrypted signature block.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a serial number for the voter is issued by the authentication body.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

generate a message of the authentication body including;

the voter'"'"'s serial number,

a digest of the digital empowerment certificate,

the voting key,

encrypt the message of the authentication body using a key of the authentication body.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to send from the authentication body, to the counting body, the message of the authentication body, the encrypted voting message, and the signature block.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:

decrypt the message of the authentication body;

confirm that the voting message is an unchanged original vote which has been assigned a serial number by the authentication body based on the digest of the encrypted digital empowerment certificate and the voting key.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to decrypt and record the vote of the user.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital empowerment certificate includes the identification data itself and the assertion of the identification data by the voter is sufficient.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein both the identification data and the indication of the identification data and references are included in the digital empowerment certificate.

17. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification data includes one or more of:

a name, an address, a date of birth, a nationality;

a length of residence, and a non-membership of prohibited classes of the voter.

18. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital empowerment certificate is encrypted using a public key of a public/private confidentiality key pair of the authentication body.

19. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the encrypting the voting message comprises encrypting the voting message a public key of a public/private confidentiality key pair of the counting body.

20. A computer program product comprised of one or more non-transitory computer readable hardware storage devices having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:

generate a digital empowerment certificate, the digital empowerment certificate including;

an indication of identification data that uniquely identifies the voter to the authentication body,

references to one or more sources for the identification data or the identification data itself, and

an indication of a voting key;

sign the digital empowerment certificate with an electronic signature of the voter;

encrypt the digital empowerment certificate using a key of the authentication body only;

generate a voting message including a vote of the user;

encrypt the voting message using a key of the counting body only;

generate a signature block linking the digital empowerment certificate and the voting message; and

send the encrypted digital empowerment certificate, the encrypted voting message and the signature block to the authentication body.