PrivID and eIDAS

Is Article 45 really necessary?

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PrivID's approach to privacy enhancing technologies (PET) through advanced encryption techniques such as Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) positions it well to enhance the privacy implications of the eIDAS concept. Here’s how PrivID can address eIDAS challenges and potentially remove the need for Article 45:

1. Strengthening Trust Services with ZKP and FHE

The eIDAS regulation emphasises electronic IDentification and trust Services to support cross-border transactions. Article 45 mandates the security of communication channels, traditionally relying on TLS. However, TLS has known vulnerabilities that can be exploited by advanced threat actors. PrivID’s ZKP and FHE offer a more resilient alternative:

• ZKPs enable the verification of a user’s identity without revealing sensitive information. This mitigates the risk of data exposure during verification processes, unlike TLS where metadata leakage can still happen.

• FHE allows data to be processed in encrypted form. For eIDAS use cases, this ensures that even if communication channels are compromised, the underlying data remains secure, as any intercepted information would be indecipherable.

2. Eliminating the Reliance on Legacy Security Protocols

Article 45’s reliance on secure channels, such as those protected by TLS, reflects a reinvention of older technology that has not kept pace with modern threats. With PrivID’s solution, encrypted interactions could be protected at the data level, rather than relying solely on the security of the communication channel:

• By securing the data itself with advanced encryption, PrivID eliminates the need for traditional secure channels, thus making protocols like TLS redundant.

• PrivID can offer end-to-end encryption beyond the channel level, ensuring all data remains encrypted and access-controlled, significantly reducing the attack surface.

3. Improving Compliance and Reducing Regulatory Overhead

PrivID can simplify compliance with eIDAS by removing the need for Article 45’s prescribed channel security measures:

• Since the data itself is encrypted and processed securely through FHE, organisations can demonstrate compliance without needing to adhere to specific requirements tied to TLS or other channel-based protections.

• This approach reduces the regulatory burden and simplifies audits, as compliance checks can focus on encryption protocols rather than specific channel security configurations.

4. Enabling Granular Access Control

With the adoption of PrivID’s technology, eIDAS can benefit from more granular access control mechanisms. PrivID’s approach allows:

• Segmented access, where only authorised parties can access specific data points. Even if someone were to compromise a communication channel, they wouldn’t gain access to sensitive information without proper cryptographic credentials.

• Reduction of exposure by minimising the amount of data that must be decrypted or transmitted in the clear, even in controlled environments.

5. Future-Proofing Against Quantum Threats

eIDAS aims to support long-term digital identification frameworks. The current use of TLS [will] become obsolete as quantum computing advances. PrivID’s encryption techniques offer post-quantum security, providing a robust defense against potential future threats:

• The use of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms ensures that even in a post-quantum world, data encrypted and secured using PrivID’s methods would remain safe.

• This future-proofing approach further supports the idea of eliminating Article 45, as relying on older technologies would expose the entire framework to emerging vulnerabilities.

By enhancing the eIDAS ecosystem with more modern cryptographic techniques, PrivID can not only augment privacy protections but also pave the way for simplifying regulatory frameworks by rendering channel-specific requirements, such as those in Article 45, unnecessary. This can lead to a more robust, future-ready digital identification infrastructure across the EU.

References

• eIDAS Regulation Overview:

  • European Union, Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), "Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market." The regulation provides the legal framework for electronic identification and trust services across EU member states, including requirements for secure communication.

  • European Commission eIDAS Overview – A detailed description of the eIDAS regulation and its impact on digital identification and trust services in the EU.

• TLS Limitations and Security Concerns:

  • O. Levillain, A. Ochoa, and J. Syrjänen, "Security evaluation of the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol," which discusses known vulnerabilities and limitations of TLS in secure communications.

  • Cloudflare Blog on TLS vulnerabilities, "The complete guide to TLS vulnerabilities," which outlines various known exploits in TLS and why relying on TLS alone for security may not suffice.

  • OWASP TLS Best Practices – Insights into the security shortcomings and potential pitfalls when using TLS as a primary means of securing communications.

• Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) and Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE):

  • A. C. Yao, "Protocols for secure computations (Extended Abstract)," which provides the foundation for modern secure computation methods, including Zero-Knowledge Proofs.

  • Gentry, C. (2009). "A Fully Homomorphic Encryption Scheme." This paper introduces the concept of FHE and discusses how encrypted data can be processed without decryption.

  • Zero-Knowledge Proofs: Theory and Applications – A comprehensive overview of Zero-Knowledge Proof techniques and their real-world applications, including privacy-focused use cases.

• Post-Quantum Cryptography and Future-Proofing:

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), "Post-Quantum Cryptography: NIST's Plan for the Future," which discusses the need for quantum-resistant cryptography to secure future communications.

  • M. Mosca, "Cybersecurity in an era with quantum computers: Will we be ready?" – This article discusses the implications of quantum computing for current cryptographic methods, including TLS.

• Granular Access Control and Data Segmentation in Encryption:

  • H. Lipmaa, "Secure and private data sharing with ZKP and segmented access," which discusses the benefits of ZKP for granular access control in secure systems.

  • Articles on data access segmentation and security best practices that discuss how encrypted data and granular control can limit exposure, such as the SANS Institute’s work on data protection principles.