cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/19547690
After reading this thread I had the question on whether it is possible to verify you have certain information without revealing who you are to others.
Yes, only after you’ve met them. First meet, exchange public keys. Use zero knowledge proofs.
But how do you verify if that information is actually accurate?
Like for example if a whistleblower says that their organization has something that can do xyz is it possible to verify that through zero knowledge proofs?
You rely on the whistleblower. That is the only way.
It might be possible. It would depend on the specific details of what the whistle blower is claiming.
That’s impossible in a generalized way. That would be the same as having an algorithm for truth
In a journalistic context, a ZKP can’t prove veracity of the information.
Let’s say you have a hoax that you want to pull on a journo. You cook up something that looks legit, like the blueprints for a super secret stealth fighter or something. You find a way to apply a ZKP to that file (let’s say an elaborate cryptographic hash). You leak the file to the journo. They ask for you to iterate on the ZKP a few hundred thousand times (which is on the low side for a ZKP) - easy to do, because you came up with it.
But that doesn’t mean the file’s legit. That’s a separate problem, and not one that is technological in nature.
At that point why not just use digital signatures?
