Providing privacy for electronic voting using encryption

• US 8,243,338 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: James A. Roskind
• Original Assignee: James A. Roskind
• Inventors: Roskind, James A., Emigh, Aaron T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rogers, Scott A
• Application Number:
  US13/191,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20110279471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 358/3.28, 358/1.18, 358/1.14, 235 51- 57, 235/487, 235/386, 713/150, 713/171, 713/176, 713/182, 713/168, 380/277, 380/282, 380/285, 283/5, 283/17, 283/72, 283/73, 434/306, 705/71, 340/5.8, 340/5.86
• US Class Current: 358/3.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 5/00 Ciphering apparatus or methods not provided for in the preceding groups, e.g. involving the concealment or deformation of graphic data such as designs, written or printed messages

Abstract

In some embodiments, techniques for voting and visual cryptography may include various enhancements.

Claims

1. A method for providing privacy for electronic voting on a computing device, the method comprising:

generating a file representing a ballot for voting, the file including a vote of a user;

performing a first encryption of the file to generate a first encrypted file after the vote is included by the user;

adding a receipt associated with the user to the first encrypted file; and

performing a second encryption of the first encrypted file with the receipt to generate a second encrypted file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the first encryption of the file includes encrypting the file with a public half of a public/private key pair.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein adding the receipt includes enabling the user to review a list of receipts and embedding the receipt data to the first encrypted file.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising adding a user identification to the second encrypted file.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user identification includes a cryptographic signature of the user.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing a third encryption of the second encrypted file with the user identification to generate a third encrypted file.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising adding an authentication credential to the third encrypted file.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the authentication credential includes a passcode previously registered by the user to a voting registry.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising performing a fourth encryption of the third encrypted file with the authentication credential to generate a fourth encrypted file.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transmitting the fourth encrypted file over a network to a voting registry.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps comprising:

generating a file representing a ballot for voting, the file including a vote of a user;

performing a first encryption of the file to generate a first encrypted file after the vote is included by the user;

adding a receipt associated with the user to the first encrypted file; and

performing a second encryption of the first encrypted file with the receipt to generate a second encrypted file.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the first encryption of the file by encrypting the file with a public half of a public/private key pair.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions cause the processor to add the receipt by enabling the user to review a list of receipts and embedding the receipt data to the first encrypted file.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to add a user identification to the second encrypted file.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the user identification includes a cryptographic signature of the user.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform a third encryption of the second encrypted file with the user identification to generate a third encrypted file.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to add an authentication credential to the third encrypted file.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the authentication credential includes a passcode previously registered by the user to a voting registry.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform a fourth encryption of the third encrypted file with the authentication credential to generate a fourth encrypted file.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit the fourth encrypted file over a network to a voting registry.