Position paper: The past, present, and future of sanitizable and redactable signatures

Abstract

Sanitizable signature schemes (SSS), as well as redactable signature schemes (RSS), gained a lot of attention in the recent past. In a nutshell, both types of signature schemes allow to alter signed data in a controlled way by a, potentially semi-trusted, third party. The resulting signatures still verify. Thus, the authenticity of the subsequently modified content is preserved. In this position paper, we discuss the state-of-the-art, and highlight potential future research opportunities. We hope this work gives rise to additional ideas, real-life use-cases, and interesting upcoming research, helping to bring both primitives into practice. Hence, this paper is meant as a starting point for readers interested in these primitives, looking for new research and application opportunities. In other words, we think that both primitives deserve further attention.