Randomness As The Next Big Public Service / Utility

[EnolaGaia]

Here's a bizarre concept ... Randomness (e.g., random numbers used for security purposes) has become so ingrained and important in human activities that researchers are pursuing a vision of randomness being distributed on demand like (e.g.) power or water.

If only they could identify one or more sources of such effective randomness (apparently sources other than the minds that dreamed up this project) ...

Scientists Across the Globe Are Hunting for Pure Randomness
You take the interstate to get home and rely on the water utility for a drink. But have you ever felt the need for some publicly available randomness?

Governments and researchers around the world think you might, with projects in the works to produce public sources, or "beacons," of randomness. From quantum-physics experiments to distributed projects that anyone with a laptop could help produce, a wide range of efforts aim to bring randomness to your fingertips.

Publicly available randomness helps ensure online security, free elections and fair immigration practices — and may even help address deep questions about the nature of the universe. But producing these randomness beacons — secure, truly random numbers that the public can trust — poses huge challenges, sending researchers into the quantum realm and beyond in search of fundamentally unpredictable phenomena. Here's why scientists see randomness as a public utility — and how they're trying to make a mess for your sake. ...

FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/63770-quantum-randomness-beacon-created.html

 

[James_H]

Here's a bizarre concept ... Randomness (e.g., random numbers used for security purposes) has become so ingrained and important in human activities that researchers are pursuing a vision of randomness being distributed on demand like (e.g.) power or water.

If only they could identify one or more sources of such effective randomness (apparently sources other than the minds that dreamed up this project) ...



FULL STORY: https://www.livescience.com/63770-quantum-randomness-beacon-created.html

Randomness as a commodity is very important for cryptography, I believe. Mostly when you ask a computer for a random number, it will give you pseudorandom, which works fine for shuffling the deck in solitaire (and most purposes) but doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to encrypting your bank details, i.e. it is predictable.

I've heard things about weather-based RNGs - I think that's what random.org uses.

 

[EnolaGaia]

Randomness as a commodity is very important for cryptography, I believe. Mostly when you ask a computer for a random number, it will give you pseudorandom, which works fine for shuffling the deck in solitaire (and most purposes) but doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to encrypting your bank details, i.e. it is predictable.

I've heard things about weather-based RNGs - I think that's what random.org uses.

Agreed ... I know how crucial random numbers can be to certain operations. It's the concept of a public randomness 'utility' that I find strange.

 

[James_H]

Agreed ... I know how crucial random numbers can be to certain operations. It's the concept of a public randomness 'utility' that I find strange.

I don't really understand from the article why it is needed.

 

[EnolaGaia]

I don't really understand from the article why it is needed.

My guess is this ... They're convinced that a sure-fire and reliable randomness generation capability would require enough dedicated resources and be so valuable to so many different people that it could serve as the proprietary platform for a business model (and, probably, a virtual monopoly).