Privacy-preserving identity verification

A trusted provider device configured to serve as an intermediary between a requesting entity and an authenticating entity, the device comprising:

• a communication unit;
• and
• one or more hardware processors configured to:
• retrieve, from memory, a plain-text message containing information of the requesting entity, the information including contact information about the requesting entity;
• process the plain-text message using a hash function to generate a hash value of the plain-text message;
• send the generated hash value to a second external device of the authenticating entity;
• receive, from the second external device of the authenticating entity, a secure token different from the generated hash value;
• create a verification indication based on the plain-text message and the secure token received from a second external device of the authenticating entity;
• and
• send the verification indication to a first external device of the requesting entity.

A method comprising:

• responsive to receiving a hash value from a computing device of a trusted provider:
• storing the hash value in memory, the hash value corresponding to plain-text information associated with a requesting entity, the plain-text information including contact information about the requesting entity, and
• generating, by one or more processor devices, a secure token associated with a storage location of the hash value;
• and
• responsive to receiving a verification message from a first external device of the requesting entity:
• processing, by the one or more processor devices, the verification message using a hash function to generate a hash value,
• retrieving the hash value stored in the memory,
• comparing a generated hash value with the hash value retrieved from the memory, and
• comparing the generated secure token with token information in the verification message, in order to verify an identify of the requesting entity.

A device comprising:

• a communication unit;
• and
• one or more hardware processors configured to:
• responsive to receiving a hash value from a computing device of a trusted provider:
• store the hash value in memory, the hash value corresponding to plain-text information associated with a requesting entity, the plain-text information including contact information about the requesting entity, and
• generate a secure token associated with a storage location of the hash value;
• and
• responsive to receiving a verification message from a first external device of the requesting entity:
• process the verification message using a hash function to generate a hash value,
• retrieve the hash value stored in the memory,
• compare a generated hash value with the hash value retrieved from the memory, and
• compare the generated secure token with token information in the verification message, in order to verify an identify of the requesting entity.