A Double-Private epsilon-Fuzzy Matching Protocol

Abstract

This paper proposes a new double-private protocol for fuzzy matching and $\epsilon$-fuzzy matching. Many works have been done for private database search in which the keyword that a user inputs for the search is concealed to the database owner. In these database searches, the exactly matched data are returned to the user. Fuzzy matching has been proposed in which not exactly matched but nearly matched data are returned to the user. Then the condition to be matched is further relaxed by $\epsilon$-fuzzy matching. In fuzzy matching and $\epsilon$-fuzzy matching, a new security requirement, the security of the database can be considered. The database owner just answers the existence of a matched data without showing the matched data itself. This paper first formalizes the problem as the double-private $\epsilon$-fuzzy matching. We show a naive protocol and an efficient protocol for double-private $\epsilon$-fuzzy matching.