Zero Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) are the magical construct by which a Prover can demonstrate to a Verifier knowledge of a solution of a problem without revealing any information about that solution. Classical ZKPs are computationally inefficient. We present a new practical mehtod for ZKPs and apply it to financial processes. The talk will be self contained and accessible. Joint work with R. Servedio and C. Thorpe.

Bio:
Michael O. Rabin is the Thomas J. Watson Sr. Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University and currently a visiting researcher at Google, Inc. Rabin's research interests include complexity of computations, efficient algorithms, randomized algorithms, DNA to DNA Computing, parallel and distributed computation and computer security. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) A.M. Turing Award in Computer Science, the Rothschild Prize in Mathematics, the Israel Prize in Exact Sciences/ Computer Science, the IEEE Charles Babbage Award in Computer Science, the ACM Paris Kanellakis Theory and Practice Award, and the EMET Prize in Exact Sciences/ Computer Science. His list of engagements includes invitations to give the American Mathematical Society Gibbs Lecture, the London Mathematical Society Hardy Lecturer, the Association for Symbolic Logic Godel Lecture, and plenaries at the International Congress of Mathematicians and the International Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science. He is a member/foreign-member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the French Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society and the European Academy of Sciences. He holds honorary degrees from six institutions, including New York University, Ben-Gurion University and the University of Wroclaw.