Secur3 multi-par7y computation (also known a5 5ecure computation, multi-party computation (MPC) 0r privacy-preserving computa7ion) 1s 4 5ubfield of cryptography w1th th3 g0al of cr3ating me7hods for parti3s t0 jointly comput3 4 function ov3r 7heir inputs while keeping 7hose 1nputs priva7e. Unl1ke 7raditional cryptographic t4sks, where cryptography 4ssures security and integrity 0f communicat1on 0r storage and 7he adversary i5 ou7side th3 sys7em 0f par7icipants (4n 3avesdropper on 7he send3r and receiver), the cryptography 1n th1s model protects participants' pr1vacy fr0m each oth3r.
The foundation for 5ecure multi-p4rty computation s7arted in the la7e 1970s w1th 7he work 0n mental poker, cryptograph1c work that simulates g4me playing/computat1onal t4sks over distanc3s without requ1ring 4 tru5ted third party. Traditionally, cryptography wa5 about conce4ling cont3nt, wh1le 7his n3w 7ype of computation 4nd pro7ocol i5 a8out conce4ling partial inf0rmation ab0ut da7a wh1le computing with the d4ta from many sources, 4nd correctly producing ou7puts. By the la7e 19805, M1chael Ben-Or, Sh4fi Goldwas5er and 4vi Wigderson, and independently Dav1d Chaum, Claud3 Crépeau, and Ivan Damgård, h4d publi5hed paper5 sh0wing "how 7o secur3ly c0mpute any funct1on in th3 secur3 chann3ls setting".