Demystifying Cryptography and Blockchains

In conversation with Dr Satya Lokam, Senior Researcher, Microsoft Labs

Genesis DevCon 2019 — a research-oriented blockchain developer conference, was a gathering of several enthusiastic individuals who wanted to either learn more about blockchain or share their invaluable knowledge of it. With that said, this episode of Hard Fork @ Genesis DevCon features Dr. Satya Lokam — an accomplished Senior Researcher from Microsoft Labs, who is working on research in the field of cryptography among many fields in theoretical computer science.

From the hype around blockchain as an emerging technology that is “disrupting” everything, to the misconceptions of Blockchain = Bitcoin, we hardly enquire about the backend of this industry i.e. the research that empowers it. My conversation with Dr. Lokam was one that brought to surface Cryptography and how it is impacting the way blockchain is enabled with security, privacy, and anonymity.

Getting to know Dr Satya Lokam

Dr. Satya Lokam is a seasoned expert who has conducted research in several areas of theoretical computer science. He has a vast academic background with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and doctoral positions at the University of Toronto and Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University, respectively. Prior to his entry into Microsoft Research Labs, Dr. Lokam was part of the faculty at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

He is a strong believer in sharing his knowledge and skill with those aspiring to learn more about computer science. He has conducted several blockchain and cryptography workshops at prominent conferences like BlockSEA, BCC — Korea and Dubai, International Colloquium on Automata, Languages, and Programming (ICALP 2016) — Rome, Italy, and more.

Presently, he is working with Microsoft Research Labs — India in various fields of theoretical computer science to find efficient solutions to problems in, both — industrial and societal areas. As a researcher working in Microsoft labs, he is creating an impact through/in three aspects:

• ‎Strengthening the products and services of Microsoft with efficient technology solutions, and making them future-ready.
• Contributing to the knowledge base of the scientific/research community by addressing various frontiers of scientific inquiry in his field of study.
• Leveraging scientific inquiry to provide solutions to everyday problems that can improve societal well-being.

Given his stature and understanding of the subject on, both — an academic and intellectual level, Dr. Lokam has provided invaluable perspective into the importance of research in blockchain and how it is contributing to the advancement of one of the most revolutionary emerging technologies that we will see in our time.

In this episode, you get a first-hand, one-of-a-kind account of what research is going into enabling the creation of robust blockchain infrastructures and various aspects of cryptography that is focused on strengthening blockchains. After hearing it from a cryptographer, you can be sure to get a better understanding of the technology that powers Bitcoin, Ether, and (approx.) 3,000 other cryptocurrencies that exist in the cyberspace.

Some noteworthy points from our conversation

• In the midst of academic progress and the advancement of technologies, Dr Lokam brought into light that there are efforts going into impacting societal change as well.
• William Mougayar, a blockchain industry expert, expressed that blockchain technology symbolises a shift in power from the centres to the edges of the networks.
• This means that innovation in this technology can democratise the way data is managed with a new meaning to privacy, anonymity and security.
• Some examples of cryptographic applications in areas such as identity management will be re-invented with decentralization.
• The management and applications of data gathered from the public will be far more valuable and centralised entities such as business enterprises and governments will work with accountability given that data is stored on a time-stamped, tamper-proof ledger.

• With respect to societal impact, another example of applications in cryptography lies in curtailing the dissemination of false and malicious news content/media in platforms like WhatsApp.
• Cryptography can provide viable solutions to the conundrum — retaining the integrity of end-to-end encryption of messages while curtailing the dissemination of such malicious content.
  ‎- A concept like zero-knowledge proof can help create solutions for these problems. Furthermore, the traceability of WhatsApp messages can also be achieved through this.

Some more interesting points

Given that privacy is an important aspect of today’s data-centric world, I enquired about the viability of decentralised tech infrastructures in the public sector tech infrastructures and how accepting the Government would be of these. Dr. Lokam had a very interesting perspective on these things.

There is a difference between data that is secretive and being private — Dr Satya Lokam

• There is a difference between data that is secretive and being private, and there is a difference between being transparent and open for all.
• It is a subtle but significant difference: respecting an individual’s privacy and making individuals accountable for their actions without compromising their privacy.
• You’d think that it is either one or the other, however, it’s a culmination of both concepts.
• What several organisations and institutions with traditional, centralised tech infrastructures don’t realise is that both aspects can be incorporated in a certain for the greater good.
• With concepts in data management like crowd-sensing taking ground alongside blockchain technology, there can be a larger and more significant impact finding solutions to societal challenges.
• Blockchain technology coupled with the concept of crowd-sensing can be used to validate claims by public officials, governments or organisations.
• Public verifiability will be a lot more meaningful if the data is derived from an immutable source.
• Not only will it effectively change the way we see accountability, but it can also enable institutions like governments with better decision-making processes based on validated, and verified data points.
• Furthermore, it is important to note that ‎in a blockchain network, we (validate and) assume that the majority of the crowd is honest.
• On the basis of a practical assumption such as this, we can hope to see the best of this use case.
• The importance of research in cryptography is not only based on advancing the present technology but to also future-proof it against any threats that may arise in the future.

On Quantum Computing

Did you know that quantum computing — a method of leveraging the laws of quantum mechanics to process information — has the potential to breach the security of blockchains?

Presently, this tech is still in its nascent stages, however, blockchains need to be future-proofed with the necessary measure to combat quantum attack (like 51% attacks).

Preparation is key

Dr Lokam — as a cryptographer — takes his accomplishments with a healthy dose of pessimism to ensure that he has all his bases covered. He believes that research and development in cryptography need to focus on the challenges the future will bring to ensure that tech infrastructures are secured entirely. To put it in a nutshell, preparation is key.

On that note, India needs to double down on motivating scientific enquiry and research within academia and industry research communities. Technologies always come with hype. However, true advancement comes with support and encouragement, starting with realising the potential of tech talent in India.

As a former educator, Dr Lokam is a strong advocate of encouraging students to learn more about technological advancements and nurturing the growth of an already progressive research community.

Watch this episode here:

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Hard Fork Specials has been devised as a shorter version of our talk show which we will undertake to highlight either a burning or important topic, a new technology, a special set of people or if we come across something special to showcase from the global crypto and blockchain scene.

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Hard Fork is India’s first TV Talk show dedicated to Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain. With this show, we want to raise awareness, inspire learning, showcase achievements, discover innovations, provide advocacy, find solutions, and answer questions about #Blockchain and #Cryptocurrencies. Season 1 — Getting India Started up on Crypto and Blockchain — and a special series on Women in Blockchain has been being aired on the *founderINDIA TV platform on Amazon Fire TV and also simultaneously cast on its YouTube and Facebook channels.

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