The way it works is that companies can upload their encrypted data to the platform, where it's securely handled by a small, randomly selected subset of stakeholders running MPC servers. The set of MPC servers work together on a specific task, without any single server ever seeing the full data. Not only that, our innovative approach ensures that the result is guaranteed to be correct even if one of the MPC servers goes rogue. While the chance of a small group of servers working together to compromise the data is extremely low, the risk of manipulation can never be totally removed from the equation, especially in scenarios like auctions or financial transactions, where tampering with results could lead to significant gains for an attacker.
At Partisia we are working on developing a new technology that takes the extra steps to ensure, not just that our clients data is kept private but also the integrity and correctness of every result. By leveraging our strong technical foundation, we go beyond just securing data by providing strong guarantees that results are computed correctly and transparently. Through advanced cryptographic techniques like zk-SNARKs, our platform aims to enable clients to receive proofs that results are accurate without exposing sensitive information.
Now, the reader might be wondering,
This is a great question! Even though every computation comes with a proof of correctness, there are still uncertainties about the source of the computation and whether this information has been published on the blockchain or not.
A client cannot be expected to be part of running the blockchain. Therefore, it has to hear the result of MPC computation from some consensus server and be convinced that this is on the ledger and not a false report by the consensus server. To address this, we note that Partisia blockchain is defined by an initial set of consensus servers. All clients know this "genesis information," and when the set of consensus servers changes, the old set all signs off on who the new set is using a digital signature scheme. Knowing the genesis information and the entire chain of signatures should therefore allow a client to learn who the current set of servers is.
The chain of trust
These can then sign off on the block containing what MPC servers tell. To make a long story short, it's like a chain of trust, starting from day one of our platform. Every time there's a change in who's running the show, everyone signs off on it.
It's foolproof, but it can be a bit like carrying around a huge family tree every time you want to prove who you are. We've been exploring a more clever system for this, though. We are extending the infrastructure with the possibility of succinct proofs that show some MPC result is on the ledger, so an external party can get quick proof of what is on the ledger without all the backstory.
Quantum Computers - Shaking up the tech world
Looking to the future, we're also preparing for the next big shake-up in the tech world: quantum computers. The rise of quantum computing poses a potential threat to current blockchain security. We at Partisia are proactively addressing this with our PQ readiness due diligence. We’re identifying the limitations of our existing cryptographic methods in the context of post-quantum security and exploring alternatives that are resilient against quantum attacks. Our goal is to future-proof our platform, ensuring it remains secure even as technology evolves.
By planning ahead, we're not just keeping up with industry changes—we're leading the way in post-quantum security.