Distributed Randomness: Drand

This lecture covers the concept of distributed randomness using Drand, a service that provides verifiable, unpredictable, and unbiased random numbers. It explains cryptographic tools for decentralized systems, including shared-algorithm cryptography, symmetric-key cryptography, and public-key cryptography. The lecture delves into topics such as interactive key exchange, elliptic curve cryptography, and the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). It also explores the challenges of generating public randomness, the history of randomness beacons, and the League of Entropy. Additionally, it discusses the practical applications of Drand in Filecoin consensus, lotteries, and blockchain systems.