Call for Papers

 
Financial Cryptography and Data Security 2019

Twenty-Third International Conference
February 18–22, 2019
St. Kitts Marriott Resort
St. Kitts

Financial Cryptography and Data Security is a major international forum for research, advanced development, education, exploration, and debate regarding information assurance, with a specific focus on financial, economic and commercial transaction security. Original works focusing on securing commercial transactions and systems are solicited; fundamental as well as applied real-world deployments on all aspects surrounding commerce security are of interest. Submissions need not be exclusively concerned with cryptography. Systems security, economic or behavioral perspectives, and interdisciplinary efforts are particularly encouraged.

Topics of interests include, but are not limited to:

• Access Control
• Anonymity and Privacy
• Applied Cryptography
• Auctions and Mechanisms
• Authentication and Identification
• Behavioral Aspects of Security and Privacy
• Biometrics
• Certification and Audits
• Cloud Computing and Data Outsourcing Security
• Commercial Cryptographic Applications
• Contactless Payment and Ticketing Systems
• Digital Rights Management
• Economics of Security and Privacy
• Electronic Commerce Security
• Electronic Crime and Underground Markets
• Fraud Detection and Forensics
• Game Theory for Security and Privacy
• Identity Theft
• Insider Threats
• Legal and Regulatory Issues
• Microfinance and Micropayments
• Mobile Systems Security and Privacy
• Phishing and Social Engineering
• Privacy and Anonymity-enhancing Technologies
• Reputation Systems
• Risk Assessment and Management
• Secure Banking and Financial Services
• Smart Contracts and Financial Instruments
• Smartcards, Secure Tokens and Secure Hardware
• Social Networks Security and Privacy
• Trust Management
• Usability and Security
• Virtual Goods and Virtual Economies
• Voting Systems
• Web Security

New this year: Since its founding in 1997, Financial Cryptography and Data Security has published research on digital currencies. With the explosion of interest in cryptocurrencies prompted by the introduction of Bitcoin, research papers on cryptocurrencies have appeared in both the main conference and, since 2014, the Workshop on Bitcoin and Blockchain Research. In recognition of this burgeoning field, the FC steering committee has decided to incorporate the workshop into the main conference as a new blockchain track. As such, Financial Cryptography and Data Security now serves as the premier venue for cryptocurrency and blockchain research. Topics of interest for the blockchain track include, but are not limited to:

• Applications Using or Built on Top of Bitcoin
• The Bitcoin Protocol and Extensions
• Blockchain Applications
• Case Studies (e.g., of adoption, attacks, forks, scams, …)
• Cryptocurrency Adoption and Transition Dynamics
• Digital Cash and Payment Systems
• Distributed Ledgers
• Economic and Monetary Aspects of Cryptocurrencies
• Economics and/or Game Theoretic Analysis of Cryptocurrency Protocols
• Forensics and Monitoring
• Fraud Detection and Financial Crime Prevention
• Legal, Ethical and Societal Aspects of (Decentralized) Virtual Currencies
• Peer-to-Peer Networks
• Permissioned and Permissionless Blockchains
• Proof-of-work, -stake, -burn, and Virtual Mining
• Real-world Measurements and Metrics
• Regulation and Law Enforcement
• Relation of Cryptocurrencies to Other Payment Systems
• Transaction Graph Analysis
• Usability and User Studies

The intent is that the blockchain track will not be in parallel to either the rest of the conference proper, nor to the workshops. Papers from the conference, whether in the blockchain track or not, will be presented from Monday to Thursday of the conference week, without parallel sessions to the extent possible. The workshops, as in previous years, will be held in parallel to each other on Friday.

Important Dates

What's the deal with the deadline?!

New this year: A number of conferences, including this one in the past, have had the habit of announcing one deadline, only to extend it by 3–7 days as the deadline approached, often citing fictitious "popular requests" as an excuse. This year, the effect will be the same, but we will be more transparent about the process.

All papers must be registered by Tue Sep 18, 2018. This means the titles, authors, abstracts, topics, submission options, conflicts, etc. (everything except the PDF of the paper itself) must be entered into the submission system by this date. This date is firm and will not be extended.

On September 17, 2018, we will announce (in this space) a block height on the Bitcoin blockchain that we expect to be found the following day.

The selected block height is 541930.

Once the block of that height is found and confirmed, let the last hex digit of the hash of that block be L. Then the FC19 paper submission deadline will be September (21+ceil(sqrt(L))), 2018. In table form:

When the paper submission deadline has been determined in this way, this page will be updated, and that deadline will be firm. The program chairs' interpretation of the above algorithm is final.

The FC19 firm submission deadline is Tue Sep 25, 2018.

If this seems too bizarre to make sense of, then just pretend the paper submission deadline is Sep 21, 2018, and you'll be fine.

Submission

Submissions are sought in the following categories:
(i) regular papers (15 pages LNCS format excluding references and appendices),
(ii) short papers (8 pages LNCS format in total),
(iii) panel and workshop proposals (2 pages), and
(iv) posters (1 page).

The regular and short paper submissions must be anonymous, with no author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or obvious references. In contrast, panel and workshop proposals and poster submissions must include author names and affiliations.

Papers must be formatted in standard LNCS format and submitted as PDF files. Submissions in other formats will be rejected. All papers must be submitted electronically according to the instructions and forms found here and at the submission site. For each accepted paper/poster the conference requires at least one registration at the general or academic rate, and paper authors must sign the IFCA copyright form when submitting the final version.

Authors may submit only work that does not substantially overlap with work that is currently submitted or has been accepted for publication to a conference/workshop with proceedings or a journal. We consider double submission serious research fraud and will treat it as such. In case of doubt contact the program chairs for any clarifications at fc19chair@ifca.ai.

Paper submissions should be uploaded through the conference submission website, where authors should also report any conflicts with program committee members. A conflict exists if an author has the same affiliation as a committee member, has ever acted as their PhD supervisor or been supervised by them, or if they have been co-authors on a paper within the past two years.

Poster submissions and panel proposals should be sent to fc19chair@ifca.ai.

Papers that are submitted but ultimately not accepted to the main conference may be considered for acceptance at one of the associated workshops. If you would like to take advantage of this, please indicate this preference when submitting your paper.

Regular Research Papers

Research papers should describe novel, previously unpublished scientific contributions to the field, and they will be subject to rigorous peer review. Accepted submissions will be included in the conference proceedings to be published in the Springer-Verlag Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) series. Submissions are limited to 15 pages in standard LNCS format excluding references and appendices. A total page restriction may apply for the printed proceedings version. Committee members are not required to read the appendices, so the full papers should be intelligible without them. Regular papers must be anonymous with no author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or obvious references.

Short Papers

Short papers are also subject to peer review; however, the intention is to encourage authors to introduce work in progress, novel applications, and corporate/industrial experiences. Short papers will be evaluated with a focus on novelty and potential for sparking participants' interest and future research avenues. Short paper submissions are limited to 8 pages in standard LNCS format in total. The paper title for short papers should necessarily include the text "Short Paper:". Accepted submissions will be included in the conference proceedings. Short papers must also be anonymous with no author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or obvious references. The authors of some submissions not accepted as regular research papers may be offered the option of acceptance as a short paper.

Panel Proposals

We especially would like to encourage submissions of panel proposals. These should include a brief description of the panel topics, as well as of the prospective panelists. Accepted panel sessions will be presented at the conference. Please feel free to contact us directly if you would like to further discuss the suitability of a certain topic. Panel submissions must not be anonymous and should be up to 2 pages, sent to fc19chair@ifca.ai.

Posters

The poster session is the perfect venue to share a provocative opinion, interesting established or preliminary work, or a cool idea that will spark discussion. Poster presenters will benefit from a multi-hour session to discuss their work, get exposure, and receive feedback from attendees. Poster submissions should be a 1-page abstract (in the same LNCS format) describing the poster. Please keep in mind that the poster deadline is later than the main paper submission deadline. Poster proposals must not be anonymous and should be sent to the posters chair at fc19chair@ifca.ai.

Workshop Proposals

Proposals for workshops to be held at FC19 are also solicited. A workshop can be full day or half day in length. Workshop proposals should include: (i) a title; (ii) a call for papers; (iii) a brief summary and justification, including how it would fit into the greater FC scope; (iv) a (tentative) Program Committee and its Chair(s); (v) one-paragraph biographies for key organizers; and (vi) the expected (or previous, if the workshop has been held in previous years) number of submissions, participants and acceptance rates. Workshop proposals must not be anonymous and should be sent to fc19workshops@ifca.ai.

The Rump Session

FC19 will also include the popular "rump session" held on one of the evenings in an informal, social atmosphere. The rump session is a program of short (5 minutes), informal presentations on works in progress, off-the-cuff ideas, and any other matters pertinent to the conference. Any conference attendee is welcome to submit a presentation to the Rump Session Chair (to be announced at the conference). This submission should consist of a talk title, the name of the presenter, and, if desired, a very brief abstract. Submissions may be sent via e-mail, or submitted in person in the morning on the day of the session.

Student Stipends

IFCA is seeking funding to continue its program of financial support specifically for students attending FC, and students are encouraged to submit work in anticipation that funding will be found. Previous grants prioritized students presenting at the conference or associated workshops and students fresh to the field, but all students are encouraged to apply. If you are interested in applying for stipend support, please email the FC19 general chair at fc19general@ifca.ai with subject line "student stipend" and a letter of support from your thesis supervisor or home institution confirming your student status and stating that a stipend would help make it possible for you to attend the conference.

Program Chairs

Program Committee

This conference is organized annually by the International Financial Cryptography Association.