Michele Orrù

I believe that privacy is a human right and that cryptography can help foster an open society. My research focuses on the intersection of authentication and anonymity. I work on:

• improving efficiency and security of zero-knowledge proofs,
• lightweight anonymous credential systems,
• confidential transactions.

In the past, I contributed to Python, Debian, and Tor. I helped design Globaleaks, an open-source whistleblowing platform now translated in more than 90 languages and used by more than 300 organizations, and co-authored the cryptography behind Google’s Trust Tokens. Sometimes, I help NGOs on matters of digital security.

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley under the supervision of Alessandro Chiesa. I got my PhD in 2020 from École Normale Supérieure, advised by Georg Fuchsbauer. Before, I got my MSc in Mathematics from the University of Trento. I attended the Recurse Center in Fall 2020 (W2’20).

_{Fig 01. Photo from Matteo Flora. I’m also keeping a list of quotes.}