Overview - ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016 (Blind digital signatures)
ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016 defines principles, models and general requirements for blind digital signature mechanisms. Part 1 of the ISO/IEC 18370 series provides a common vocabulary, entities, process flows and high‑level requirements for three blind signature variants: partial disclosure, selective disclosure, and traceable blind signatures. The document also includes terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and figure elements used throughout the series and a comparison table (Annex A).
Key topics and technical requirements
- General model and entities: Defines the roles (requestor, signer, verifier, tracing authority, etc.) and the domain context for blind signature operations.
- Core processes:
- Key generation - generation of private signature keys and public verification keys.
- Blind signature process - how a requestor obtains a signature without revealing the message or signature to the signer.
- Verification process - public verification of resulting blind signatures.
- Variants covered:
- Blind signatures with partial disclosure - signer and requestor agree on metadata included in the signature.
- Blind signatures with selective disclosure - signatures are issued only for messages that meet pre-defined rules.
- Traceable blind signatures - authorized tracing mechanisms to link signatures back to requestors under defined conditions.
- Security considerations: Emphasizes reliance on asymmetric cryptography and computational hardness assumptions (e.g., discrete logarithm problems), use of collision‑resistant hash‑functions, and interactions with other cryptographic primitives.
- Terminology and normative constructs: Comprehensive definitions (hash‑function, hash‑code, domain parameters, distinguishing identifiers) used across ISO/IEC 18370 parts.
- Supporting information: Annex B (informative) provides additional security details for selective disclosure.
Practical applications and target users
ISO/IEC 18370-1 is applicable to systems that require anonymity, unlinkability, or controlled traceability in digital signatures:
- Internet voting and e‑voting systems
- Anonymous electronic payment schemes and loyalty programs
- Online auctions and anonymous bidding
- Public transport ticketing and road‑toll systems
- Anonymous entity authentication (see ISO/IEC 20009)
Primary audiences:
- Cryptographers and security architects designing privacy-preserving signature schemes
- System engineers implementing e‑payments, e‑voting, ticketing and identity systems
- PKI and standards engineers validating compliance and interoperability
- Regulators and auditors evaluating privacy vs. traceability trade‑offs
Related standards
Keywords: ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016, blind digital signatures, partial disclosure, selective disclosure, traceable blind signatures, collision‑resistant hash, anonymity, digital signature mechanisms.