K-times anonymous authentication (extended abstract)

We propose an authentication scheme in which users can be authenticated anonymously so long as times that they are authenticated is within an allowable number. The proposed scheme has two features that allow 1) no one, not even an authority, identify users who have been authenticated within the allowable number, and that allow 2) anyone to trace, without help from the authority, dishonest users who have been authenticated beyond the allowable number by using the records of these authentications. Although identity escrow/group signature schemes allow users to be anonymously authenticated, the authorities in these schemes have the unnecessary ability to trace any user. Moreover, since it is only the authority who is able to trace users, one needs to make cumbersome inquiries to the authority to see how many times a user has been authenticated. Our scheme can be applied to e-voting, e-cash, electronic coupons, and trial browsing of content. In these applications, our scheme, unlike the previous one, conceals users' participation from protocols and guarantees that they will remain anonymous to everyone.