Join Us For A Special Presentation!

Nirvan Tyagi, Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University presents a lecture on online accountability that preserves privacy!

Title: Privacy-Preserving Accountability Online

Abstract: In this talk, I will highlight two deployed applications, end-to-end encrypted messaging and anonymous web browsing, where this tension arises and how gaps in accountability can and do lead to real-world attacks. I will discuss how I have addressed this tension through the design of new cryptographic protocols that preserve user privacy while also providing mechanisms for holding bad actors accountable. In particular, I will cover new protocols for anonymous blocklisting, one-time-use credentials, and transparent key infrastructure.

Bio: Nirvan Tyagi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University, advised by Tom Ristenpart and based at the NYC Cornell Tech campus. Over the past two years, he has held visiting student appointments at University of Washington and Stanford. His research interests span broadly across computer security, applied cryptography, and systems. Most recently, his focus has been on building systems that provide strong user privacy while also providing appropriate accountability against misbehavior. He is the recipient of an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, a Facebook Ph.D. Fellowship, and a Digital Life Initiative Doctoral Fellowship. Nirvan received an Early Career Award at CRYPTO 2020 and his work on one-time-use credentials is being standardized by the IETF.