Listen "Indistinguishability Obfuscation (iO) with Huijia (Rachel) Lin"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode, Anna Rose and Tarun Chitra chat with Huijia (Rachel) Lin from the University of Washington to explore indistinguishability obfuscation (iO), often described as the 'holy grail of cryptography'. iO is a powerful primitive that, if fully realised, could have profound implications for privacy tech as a whole. Rachel helps break down the concept for listeners who may already be familiar with ZK, FHE and TEEs, clarifying how iO differs but also some of the similarities in the assumptions upon which it is based. Rachel also explains how it differs from similar concepts: garbled circuits and functional encryption.
The discussion covers the evolution of iO research in her work over the last decade, how the cryptographic assumptions have hardened since that time, and what iO can offer in terms of precise, controlled information revelation.
Related Links
Indistinguishability obfuscation from well-founded assumptionsIndistinguishability Obfuscation from DDH-like Assumptions on Constant-Degree Graded EncodingsOn Lattices, Learning with Errors, Random Linear Codes, and CryptographyHow to Use Indistinguishability Obfuscation: Deniable Encryption, and MoreFunctional Encryption for Quadratic Functions, and Applications to Predicate EncryptionGarbled circuit
ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here.
**If you like what we do:**
* Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree
* Subscribe to our podcast newsletter
* Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm
* Join us on Telegram
* Catch us on
The discussion covers the evolution of iO research in her work over the last decade, how the cryptographic assumptions have hardened since that time, and what iO can offer in terms of precise, controlled information revelation.
Related Links
Indistinguishability obfuscation from well-founded assumptionsIndistinguishability Obfuscation from DDH-like Assumptions on Constant-Degree Graded EncodingsOn Lattices, Learning with Errors, Random Linear Codes, and CryptographyHow to Use Indistinguishability Obfuscation: Deniable Encryption, and MoreFunctional Encryption for Quadratic Functions, and Applications to Predicate EncryptionGarbled circuit
ZK Whiteboard Sessions is an educational video series produced by ZK Hack in collaboration with Bain Capital Crypto. It is focused on the building blocks of zero knowledge technology. Find season 3 of the Whiteboard Sessions as well as previous seasons here.
**If you like what we do:**
* Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree
* Subscribe to our podcast newsletter
* Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm
* Join us on Telegram
* Catch us on
More episodes of the podcast Zero Knowledge
Year in Review: ZK Podcast in 2025 & Beyond
03/12/2025
The Quest for Practical iO with Machina iO
12/11/2025
Countdown to Q-Day with Project 11
05/11/2025
Bonus: ZK Mesh and ZK Whiteboard this week!
29/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.