Which method allows two parties to jointly evaluate a publicly known function without revealing inputs?

Which method allows two parties to jointly evaluate a publicly known function without revealing inputs?

• A. Secure Function Evaluation (SFE)
• B. Homomorphic Encryption
• C. Private Information Retrieval (PIR)
• D. Biometric Impersonation

Answer: (A)

Secure Function Evaluation is the process where two parties compute a publicly known function on their private inputs without revealing those inputs to each other. The function itself is public, the inputs stay private, and only the final result is learned by the participants. This privacy is achieved with secure multi-party computation techniques, such as garbled circuits or secret sharing, which keep each party’s data hidden even if one side tries to cheat. For example, two organizations can determine whether their combined data meet a threshold without disclosing their underlying records. Homomorphic encryption is related but typically centers on performing computations on encrypted data, often with one party holding the data and a decryption key, rather than two parties jointly evaluating a function while keeping inputs private. Private Information Retrieval is about querying a database privately, not about jointly computing a function on two private inputs. Biometric impersonation is unrelated to this cryptographic goal.

Secure Function Evaluation is the process where two parties compute a publicly known function on their private inputs without revealing those inputs to each other. The function itself is public, the inputs stay private, and only the final result is learned by the participants. This privacy is achieved with secure multi-party computation techniques, such as garbled circuits or secret sharing, which keep each party’s data hidden even if one side tries to cheat. For example, two organizations can determine whether their combined data meet a threshold without disclosing their underlying records.

Homomorphic encryption is related but typically centers on performing computations on encrypted data, often with one party holding the data and a decryption key, rather than two parties jointly evaluating a function while keeping inputs private. Private Information Retrieval is about querying a database privately, not about jointly computing a function on two private inputs. Biometric impersonation is unrelated to this cryptographic goal.