Private Commitment

Definition ∞ A private commitment in cryptography refers to a method where a party publicly declares a value without revealing it, committing to that specific value. This technique allows a party to “commit” to a secret value, then later “reveal” it, proving that the revealed value is indeed the one they committed to earlier. The commitment scheme ensures that the committed value cannot be changed after the initial declaration and that no information about the secret is disclosed before the reveal. It is fundamental for constructing zero-knowledge proofs and secure multi-party computations, maintaining data privacy.
Context ∞ News on privacy-enhancing technologies in blockchain, such as confidential transactions or zero-knowledge applications, often mentions the role of private commitments. Discussions highlight their utility in enabling verifiable computations while preserving data confidentiality. Future developments involve integrating more efficient and secure commitment schemes into decentralized protocols to enhance user privacy.