Homomorphic Encryption
- Formal
-
Homomorphic encryption is a form of encryption that allows computations to be carried out on ciphertext, thus generating an encrypted result which, when decrypted, matches the result of operations performed on the plaintext.
- Practical
-
Homomorphic encryption is a method of performing calculations on encrypted information without decrypting it first. This is sometimes a desirable feature in modern communication system architectures. Homomorphic encryption would allow the chaining together of different services without exposing the data to each of those services. For example, a chain of different services from different companies could calculate 1) the tax 2) the currency exchange rate 3) shipping, on a transaction without exposing the unencrypted data to each of those services.