The Trust Summit, hosted by IIT Bombay Trust Lab, returned for its highly anticipated second iteration on September 22, 2023.

IIT Bombay has consistently been at the forefront of cutting-edge research and innovation. Labs like the IITB Trust Lab exemplify the Institute’s unwavering commitment to pushing boundaries and making a tangible impact on critical global issues. The Trust Summit, an annual flagship event, is a testament to IIT Bombay’s commitment to advancing digital trust research and innovation in India.

Building upon the success of its inaugural edition, the Trust Summit returned with a renewed commitment to advancing digital trust research and fostering collaboration among experts, industry leaders, and policymakers. This year’s event was even more impactful, and showcased five expert panels, each delving into various facets of digital trust, and was preceded by a select invite-only Digital Identity Workshop.

The summit reaffirmed IITB Trust Lab’s status as a cornerstone in the exploration of trust in the digital age.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Prof. Shafi Goldwasser

The Trust Summit’s distinguished keynote speaker for this year was none other than Prof. Shafi Goldwasser, a renowned figure in the world of computer science and cryptography. With a plethora of accolades to her name, including the prestigious ACM Turing Award, Prof. Goldwasser’s talk was among the key highlights of the event. Her speech titled, Constructing and Deconstructing Trust: Employing Cryptographic Recipe in the ML Domain, delved into the intersection of cryptographic tools and machine learning, exploring their role in achieving verification, robustness, and privacy.

The day kicked off with welcoming opening remarks made by Prof. S. Sudarshan, Deputy Director, IIT Bombay. This was followed by Mr. Mukul Joshi, Program Director, IITB Trust Lab, and Mr. Prof. Manoj Prabhakaran, PIC, IITB Trust Lab who spoke about ‘The Year That Was and The Road Ahead for the Trust Lab.’

Later, Mr. Sanjay Jain, Advisor, IITB Trust Lab, and Mr. Shridhar Shukla, Founding Donor, IITB Trust Lab unveiled the Trust Lab Early Career Award and the inauguration of Trust Lab CTF, the nationwide version of IITB Trust Lab’s Capture the Flag (CTF) competition.

The Early Career Award, designed to honour outstanding research in the field of Digital Trust is now open to researchers across India. This award will bestow two substantial cash prizes, each valued at INR 3 lakhs, on an annual basis.

The nationwide Trust Lab CTF competition is a two-tiered ethical hacking contest for students across India. During the virtual preliminary round on September 22, over 1000 students competed for a coveted spot in the grand finale which is scheduled for October 21-22 at IIT Bombay. The final winners will be awarded significant cash prizes totalling Rs. 2.5 lakhs.

The Summit also introduced the Digital Trust Compendium—an online resource that will highlight key stakeholders in the digital trust arena, including representatives from government, industry, and academia. This virtual compendium will reside permanently on the IITB Trust Lab website, ensuring open access for all interested parties.

For further details on these initiatives, please visit the IITB Trust Lab website at https://trustlab.iitb.ac.in/.

Apart from the highly accomplished academics and a diverse and influential cohort of leaders, pioneers, and experts in the domain of digital trust from across industry, academia, and the government – the summit also featured key industry partners. These included representatives from IBM Research, TCS Research, Microsoft Research India, MOSIP, KAS Cyber Ventures, HSBC bank, and CrowdStrike (Summit sponsor).

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

The heart of Trust Summit 2023 was its diverse and thought-provoking panel discussions. These engaging sessions brought together experts from various domains to unravel the complexities of digital trust, offering attendees a unique opportunity to delve into the latest trends and challenges shaping the landscape of trust in the digital realm.

The following engaging and dynamic panel discussions were at the forefront of knowledge sharing and innovation during this year’s summit.

PANEL 1: Digital Trust in Industrial Research Labs

Leaders from top research labs deliberated on the future of digital trust research.

Panellists:

– Sachin Lodha (TCS Research)
Satya Lokam (Microsoft Research)
Sikhar Patranabis (IBM Research Lab)

– Moderator: Supratik Chakraborty (IITB Trust Lab)

PANEL 2: Cryptography DeepTech

Cryptography’s potential for driving technological advancements was explored by leading experts, shedding light on the next big breakthroughs in the field. The panel discussion on Cryptography DeepTech took a deep dive into zero-knowledge proofs, post-quantum cryptography, the need for specific solutions, and more that needs to be done for a more secure future in Digital trust.

Panellists: 

– Shweta Agrawal (IIT Madras)
Nishanth Chandran (Microsoft Research India)
Chaya Ganesh (IISc)

– Moderator:  Manoj Prabhakaran (IIT Bombay)

PANEL 3: Hardware Security Modules – Challenges and Opportunities

A panel discussion on the critical role of hardware security modules in securing digital interactions provided valuable insights into this crucial aspect of trust. The panel discussed designing hardware with a security approach, developing a passport chip, and more.

Panellists: 

– Sasikumar Ganesan (Modular Open-Source Identity Platform/MOSIP)
Udayan Ganguly (IIT Bombay)
Chester Ribeiro (IIT Madras)

– Moderator: Biswabandan Panda (IIT Bombay)

PANEL 4 – Society and Digital Trust

Prominent figures from diverse sectors engaged in a thought-provoking conversation on digital trust’s societal implications. The digitisation of data for the government, informed consent, and other many crucial issues pertaining to Society and Digital Trust were addressed in the panel discussion.

Panellists:

– Shailesh Gandhi (Satyameva Jayate)
Debayan Gupta (Ashoka University)
Manish Kumar (RealX)
Rohit Srivastwa (KAS Cyber Ventures)

– Moderator: Akshay S (IITB Trust Lab)

PANEL 5: Synergy Among IITB Centres

Panellists came together to discover how various centres at IIT Bombay can collaborate synergistically to innovate and advance research, technology, and policy development.

Panellists:

– Manjesh Hanawal (Technocraft Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence | TCA2I)
Shishir Jha (Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies | ADCPS)
D. Manjunath (Centre for Machine Intelligence and Data Science | C-MInDS)
Ganesh Ramakrishnan (Koita Centre for Digital Health | KCDH)

Finally, Ms. Shafi Goldwater delivered the keynote address virtually before the Vote of Thanks that brought the event day to an end.

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In a world where digital trust is both a cornerstone and a challenge, events like Trust Summit 2023 serve as a melting pot of ideas, a platform for collaboration, and a source of inspiration for all stakeholders—academia, industry, and government.

IIT Bombay’s unwavering commitment to pioneering digital trust research and fostering dialogue through initiatives like Trust Summit underscores its position as a global leader in addressing critical issues that impact our interconnected world. Events like the Trust Summit 2023 not only open doors to innovation but also reinforces IIT Bombay’s role in guiding the world toward a future where trust in the digital age remains unshakable. It is through such endeavours that the Institute takes bold steps toward a more secure and trustworthy digital landscape, setting a precedent for others to follow.

As IITB Trust Lab and its annual flagship event, Trust Summit, continue to pave the way for advancements in digital trust, IIT Bombay is not just adapting to the future but actively shaping it.

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