A Privacy-Preserving and Transparent Certification System for Digital Credentials

A certification system is responsible for issuing digital credentials, which attest claims about a subject, e.g., an academic diploma. Such credentials are valuable for individuals and society, and widespread adoption requires a trusted certification system. Trust can be gained by being transparent when issuing and verifying digital credentials. However, there is a fundamental tradeoff between privacy and transparency. For instance, admitting a student to an academic program must preserve the student’s privacy, i.e., the student’s grades must not be revealed to unauthorized parties. At the same time, other applicants may demand transparency to ensure fairness in the admission process. Thus, building a…