Topics for Bachelor Students
- Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage
Record linkage is a crucial step in many database applications. At the same time, record linkage can be a privacy issue. To what degree is it possible to support record linkage while maintaining a well-specified and quantifiable amount of privacy for the user?
- Differential Privacy in Smart Traffic Control
Smart cities are not just known for their comfort but also for their habit to collect large amounts of data. One typical example of such a comfortable but data-intensive use case is smart traffic control. If implemented correctly, it can add a lot of features addressing not just comfort but also security. On the other hand, there are many concerns regarding the constant surveillance. What can we do to keep the benefits without giving away privacy? The aim of this work is to find differential privacy mechanisms and strategies for smart traffic control to tackle this issue.
Topics for Master Students
- Proofs of Storage
In recent years, the idea of hash-based cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, has taken off. A disadvantage of Bitcoin is the dependency on cryptographic "proofs of work", which are, de facto, a "proof of power consumption" and CO2-emission. Thus, we study environmentally more friendly alternatives, such as "proofs of storage".
- TrueNews II
How to verify a photograph taken while maintaining anonymity? This is a follow-up work of an already existing master thesis where photographs taken were verified in a decentralized way by nearby smartphones. A new signature protocol was created. However, there are ongoing challenges. How to compute credibility? How to transmit credibility? What if some phones are compromised? And how to remain anonymous? The goal of this thesis is to revisit the underlying protocol and to analyze and improve it from a security perspective.