Lab Lunch: 30 June 2020 - Markulf Kohlweiss

Title: Secure and Private Distributed Ledgers: ZK - Saviour and Saved

Abtract:

IOHK and the blockchain technology lab are maybe best known for formalizing the security of distributed ledgers and the Ouroboros family of proof-of-stake protocols, which because of its robust security analysis is a viable alternative to bitcoin's proof-of-work in terms of security -- while vastly superior in terms of energy efficiency.

In this talk, I show how distributed ledgers help solve the setup problem of our most succinct and performant ZK prove systems. Based on such a setup, I continue the Ouroboros programme to show how zcash on top of Ouroboros Crypsinous can be as private as zcash on top of bitcoin. The ZK setup can in turn enrich the ledger with private smart contracts and succinct ledger verification.

Affiliation:

Edinburgh University