Secure Computation
Postgraduate course, IIT Kanpur, Computer Science and Engineering, 2024
About the Course
The early pioneers of the Internet envisioned it would be the great equalizer and lead to the complete democratization of the online world—nearly four decades since the reality has diverged considerably from their grand vision. Rather than the bastion of freedom and free speech, which the early visionaries envisioned, the Internet has become a dangerous place. Data theft leading to identity theft has become commonplace. Despite these challenges, it is undeniable that the Internet has revolutionized our lives by making day-to-day tasks easier and connecting people worldwide — however, the risks associated with the Internet loom large. Secure Computation is a promising technique that allows users to keep their data private without sacrificing the Internet’s benefits. Interestingly, the origins of Secure Computation were during the exact times when the Internet was in its nascent stages. The early researchers of Secure Computation studied it mainly as a theoretical endeavor. However, nearly four decades after its inception, Secure Computation is more than just a problem of theoretical importance; it can solve practical privacy problems many of which arise due to the expansion of the Internet.