Anonymous authentication with token redemption
This disclosure relates to a method for anonymous attestation that includes receiving, by an application running on a client device and from a first content provider, an authentication request to authenticate a user to receive content from a second domain of a second content provider, redeeming, with an attestation token issuing system that issued an anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to the second content provider, the anonymous attestation token by transmitting the anonymous attestation token with a second request, receiving a redemption result representing whether the attestation token was successfully redeemed, signed by the attestation token issuing system using a digital signature and is operable to verify, to the second content provider, that the user is authenticated to the second content provider without identifying the user to the second content provider, and transmitting, to the first content provider, the redemption result.
1. A method for anonymous attestation, comprising:
transmitting, by an application running on a client device and to a trusted program having access to credentials of a user of the client device that authenticate the user to an entity, a first request for an anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to a second content provider;
transmitting, by the trusted program and to an attestation token issuing system, a second request for the anonymous attestation token, the second request including a set of credentials for the user of the client device; and
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system, the anonymous attestation token comprising (i) an attestation token creation timestamp indicating a time of creation of the anonymous attestation token, and (ii) a first digital signature of the attestation token issuing system;
receiving, by the application running on the client device and from a first server hosted on a first domain of a first content provider, an authentication request to authenticate the user to receive content from a second domain of the second content provider, wherein the second content provider is different from the first content provider;
in response to receiving the authentication request, redeeming, by the application and with the attestation token issuing system that issued the anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to the second content provider, the anonymous attestation token by transmitting the anonymous attestation token with a third request;
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system in response to the third request, a redemption result representing whether the anonymous attestation token was successfully redeemed and is signed by the attestation token issuing system using a second digital signature, wherein the redemption result is operable to verify, to the second content provider, that the user is authenticated to the second content provider without identifying the user to the second content provider; and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redemption result is operable to verify to a recipient that the user is authenticated to the second content provider while allowing the user to remain anonymous without providing the first content provider with the set of credentials for the user.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
requesting, by the application and from the second content provider through an electronic resource of the first content provider, the content from the second content provider.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving, by the application, the content from the second content provider.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second digital signature is created according to a blind signature scheme.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second digital signature is created using a group signature scheme and an anonymous certificate issued to the client device; and
the method comprises storing the anonymous certificate in a secure private keystore on the client device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system further comprises providing additional data that (i) is signed by the application, and (ii) does not correlate the user with the set of credentials.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second request indicates a number of attestation tokens to be issued.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second request is signed with a third digital signature using a private key maintained by the application, and wherein the third digital signature can be verified using a public key (i) corresponding to the private key and (ii) published by the application.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first digital signature is created using a private key maintained by the attestation token issuing system, and wherein the third digital signature can be verified using a public key (i) corresponding to the private key and (ii) published by the attestation token issuing system.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the redemption result comprises a single bit representing whether the anonymous attestation token was successfully redeemed.
12. A method for anonymous attestation, the method comprising:
receiving, by an application running on a client device and from a first server hosted on a first domain of a first content provider, an authentication request to authenticate a user to receive content from a second domain of a second content provider different from the first content provider;
in response to receiving the authentication request, redeeming, by the application and with an attestation token issuing system that issued an anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to the second content provider, the anonymous attestation token by transmitting the anonymous attestation token with a second request;
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system in response to the second request, a redemption result representing whether the anonymous attestation token was successfully redeemed and is signed by the attestation token issuing system using a digital signature, wherein the redemption result is operable to verify, to the second content provider, that the user is authenticated to the second content provider without identifying the user to the second content provider; and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system,
wherein the second content provider is a news provider,
wherein the first content provider is a news aggregator domain, and
wherein transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system is performed in response to a user action requesting access to a resource hosted by the news provider.
13. A method for anonymous attestation, the method comprising:
receiving, by an application running on a client device and from a first server hosted on a first domain of a first content provider, an authentication request to authenticate a user to receive content from a second domain of a second content provider different from the first content provider;
in response to receiving the authentication request, redeeming, by the application and with an attestation token issuing system that issued an anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to the second content provider, the anonymous attestation token by transmitting the anonymous attestation token with a second request;
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system in response to the second request, a redemption result representing whether the anonymous attestation token was successfully redeemed and is signed by the attestation token issuing system using a digital signature, wherein the redemption result is operable to verify, to the second content provider, that the user is authenticated to the second content provider without identifying the user to the second content provider; and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system,
wherein the second content provider is a media hosting platform, and
wherein the first content provider is a social media platform, and
wherein transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system is performed in response to a user action requesting access to a resource hosted by the media hosting platform.
14. A system, comprising:
one or more processors of a client device; and
one or more memories having stored thereon computer readable instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
transmitting, by an application running on the client device and to a trusted program having access to credentials of a user of the client device that authenticate the user to an entity, a first request for the anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to a second content provider;
transmitting, by the trusted program and to an attestation token issuing system, a second request for the anonymous attestation token, the second request including a set of credentials for the user of the client device; and
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system, an anonymous attestation token comprising (i) an attestation token creation timestamp indicating a time of creation of the anonymous attestation token, and (ii) a first digital signature of the attestation token issuing system;
receiving, by the application running on the client device and from a first server hosted on a first domain of a first content provider, an authentication request to authenticate the user to receive content from a second domain of the second content provider, wherein the second content provider is different from the first content provider;
in response to receiving the authentication request, redeeming, by the application and with the attestation token issuing system that issued the anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to the second content provider, the anonymous attestation token by transmitting the anonymous attestation token with a third request;
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system in response to the third request, a redemption result representing whether the anonymous attestation token was successfully redeemed and is signed by the attestation token issuing system using a second digital signature, wherein the redemption result is operable to verify, to the second content provider, that the user is authenticated to the second content provider without identifying the user to the second content provider; and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system.
15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the redemption result is operable to verify to a recipient that the user is authenticated to the second content provider while allowing the user to remain anonymous without providing the first content provider with the set of credentials for the user.
16. The system of claim 14 , wherein:
the second content provider is a news provider,
the first content provider is a news aggregator domain, and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system is performed in response to a user action requesting access to a resource hosted by the news provider.
17. The system of claim 14 , wherein:
the second content provider is a media hosting platform,
the first content provider is a social media platform, and
wherein transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system is performed in response to a user action requesting access to a resource hosted by the media hosting platform.
18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that upon execution by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
transmitting, by an application running on a client device and to a trusted program having access to credentials of a user of the client device that authenticate the user to an entity, a first request for the anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to a second content provider;
transmitting, by the trusted program and to an attestation token issuing system, a second request for the anonymous attestation token, the second request including a set of credentials for the user of the client device; and
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system, an anonymous attestation token comprising (i) an attestation token creation timestamp indicating a time of creation of the anonymous attestation token, and (ii) a first digital signature of the attestation token issuing system;
receiving, by the application running on the client device and from a first server hosted on a first domain of a first content provider, an authentication request to authenticate the user to receive content from a second domain of the second content provider, wherein the second content provider is different from the first content provider;
in response to receiving the authentication request, redeeming, by the application and with the attestation token issuing system that issued the anonymous attestation token attesting to the user's authentication to the second content provider, the anonymous attestation token by transmitting the anonymous attestation token with a third request;
receiving, by the application and from the attestation token issuing system in response to the third request, a redemption result representing whether the anonymous attestation token was successfully redeemed and is signed by the attestation token issuing system using a second digital signature, wherein the redemption result is operable to verify, to the second content provider, that the user is authenticated to the second content provider without identifying the user to the second content provider; and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein:
the second content provider is a news provider,
the first content provider is a news aggregator domain, and
transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system is performed in response to a user action requesting access to a resource hosted by the news provider.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein:
the second content provider is a media hosting platform,
the first content provider is a social media platform, and
wherein transmitting, by the application and to the first content provider, the redemption result signed by the attestation token issuing system is performed in response to a user action requesting access to a resource hosted by the media hosting platform.