Privacy-sensitive sample analysis

Abstract

Processes are described for provision of privacy-sensitive sample analysis results to a sample provider. The sample provider generates a cryptographic commitment encoding a secret value, r, and a sample identifier, s, associated with a sample container. The sample provider provides the commitment to an analysis provider in association with the sample container containing a sample for analysis. The analysis provider analyzes the sample to obtain a set of analysis results corresponding to the sample identifier, s, and generates a cryptographic pre-credential, σ', corresponding to the sample identifier, s. The pre-credential, σ′, encodes the set of analysis results and the commitment. Completion of the pre-credential, σ′, requires knowledge of the secret value, r, in the commitment. In response to cryptographic proof of knowledge by the sample provider of at least the secret value, r, in the commitment encoded in the pre-credential, σ′, corresponding to the sample identifier, s, the analysis provider supplies the pre-credential, σ′, to the sample provider. The sample provider then completes the pre-credential, σ′ using the secret value, r, to obtain a cryptographic credential, σ, encoding the set of analysis results.