A central concept in secure computation is that of correlated random variables (or correlations). This talk covered correlations, connections to cryptography, useful algebraic structures, and applications. Specifically, the speaker described a new class of correlations over groups called “Zero Alternating Sum” and showed how it allows secure 2-party computation over groups.

Bio: Dr. Rajeev Raghunath completed his PhD under Professor Manoj Prabhakaran at IIT Bombay, and is currently a postdoc at IIT Madras. He works in MPC, cryptography, and complexity.