"Securing Data Transfers With Relativity: Information Cannot Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light"
A team of researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has developed a new system to secure data transfers based on the physical principle of relativity. As the volume of data transferred continues to grow, it is essential to bolster the security of these exchanges. When an individual confirms their identity when they want to withdraw money from an ATM, they must disclose their personal data to the bank, which processes this information, such as the identification number and the pin code. If the prover and the verifier are the only ones who know this data, confidentiality is guaranteed, but if others access this information by hacking into the bank's server, security is compromised. The system developed by the team to counter hacking against data transfers applies the concept of zero-knowledge proof, the security of which is based on the physical principle of relativity. The idea is that information cannot travel faster than the speed of light. Their system enables users to identify themselves in complete confidentiality without having to provide any personal information. The principle of zero-knowledge proof was invented in the mid-1980s and has been applied in recent years, particularly for cryptocurrencies. However, these implementations are weak because they are based on a mathematical assumption that a specific encoding function is hard to decode. If this assumption is invalidated, which cannot be ruled out today, security is jeopardized because the data would become accessible. The team is demonstrating a relativistic zero-knowledge proof, described as a completely different system in practice. The security provided is based on the principle of relativity instead of a mathematical hypothesis. As the principle of relativity is a mainstay of modern physics, it will probably never be challenged. Therefore, the Geneva researchers' protocol is said to guarantee security. This article continues to discuss the new system developed by the Geneva researchers that secures data transfers based on the physical principle of relativity.