ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016 PDF

Overview - ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016 (Blind digital signatures)

ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016 defines principles, models and general requirements for blind digital signature mechanisms. Part 1 of the ISO/IEC 18370 series provides a common vocabulary, entities, process flows and high‑level requirements for three blind signature variants: partial disclosure, selective disclosure, and traceable blind signatures. The document also includes terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and figure elements used throughout the series and a comparison table (Annex A).

Key topics and technical requirements

• General model and entities: Defines the roles (requestor, signer, verifier, tracing authority, etc.) and the domain context for blind signature operations.
• Core processes:
  • Key generation - generation of private signature keys and public verification keys.
  • Blind signature process - how a requestor obtains a signature without revealing the message or signature to the signer.
  • Verification process - public verification of resulting blind signatures.
• Variants covered:
  • Blind signatures with partial disclosure - signer and requestor agree on metadata included in the signature.
  • Blind signatures with selective disclosure - signatures are issued only for messages that meet pre-defined rules.
  • Traceable blind signatures - authorized tracing mechanisms to link signatures back to requestors under defined conditions.
• Security considerations: Emphasizes reliance on asymmetric cryptography and computational hardness assumptions (e.g., discrete logarithm problems), use of collision‑resistant hash‑functions, and interactions with other cryptographic primitives.
• Terminology and normative constructs: Comprehensive definitions (hash‑function, hash‑code, domain parameters, distinguishing identifiers) used across ISO/IEC 18370 parts.
• Supporting information: Annex B (informative) provides additional security details for selective disclosure.

Practical applications and target users

ISO/IEC 18370-1 is applicable to systems that require anonymity, unlinkability, or controlled traceability in digital signatures:

• Internet voting and e‑voting systems
• Anonymous electronic payment schemes and loyalty programs
• Online auctions and anonymous bidding
• Public transport ticketing and road‑toll systems
• Anonymous entity authentication (see ISO/IEC 20009)

Primary audiences:

• Cryptographers and security architects designing privacy-preserving signature schemes
• System engineers implementing e‑payments, e‑voting, ticketing and identity systems
• PKI and standards engineers validating compliance and interoperability
• Regulators and auditors evaluating privacy vs. traceability trade‑offs

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 18370-2 (specific instances of mechanisms)
• ISO/IEC 9796, ISO/IEC 14888 (digital signature mechanisms)
• ISO/IEC 10118 (hash‑functions)
• ISO/IEC 9798 (entity authentication)
• ISO/IEC 18033-2 (asymmetric encryption)
• ISO/IEC 20009 (anonymous entity authentication)

Keywords: ISO/IEC 18370-1:2016, blind digital signatures, partial disclosure, selective disclosure, traceable blind signatures, collision‑resistant hash, anonymity, digital signature mechanisms.