Unlinkable

Unlinkable describes something that cannot be connected or associated with something else, or a situation where a connection is impossible to establish. This term often applies to data, accounts, identities, or pieces of information designed to maintain privacy, security, or independence. It highlights the absence of a verifiable or traceable link, preventing the direct identification or correlation of related elements. Unlinkability ensures that actions, data points, or entities remain separate and isolated from each other, reducing the risk of unwanted exposure or tracking.

Unlinkable meaning with examples

• To protect user privacy, the new payment system uses unlinkable transaction IDs, preventing any association between the payment and the user's personal account. This helps avoid the creation of comprehensive consumer profiles.
• The whistleblower used an unlinkable email address to submit their report, ensuring their identity remained hidden and protecting them from potential retaliation from the organization they exposed.
• In a zero-knowledge proof system, the verifier obtains only the necessary information without being able to link the transaction back to the prover's identity due to unlinkable cryptographic keys.
• The security protocol employed unlinkable session keys to prevent attackers from correlating different user sessions and reconstructing their online activities across multiple platforms.
• The anonymized datasets provided by the research institute contained unlinkable patient information, preserving confidentiality while allowing for statistical analysis of health trends.