Abstract. We introduce WORM-ORAM, a first mechanism that combines Oblivious RAM (ORAM) access privacy and data confidentiality with Write Once Read Many (WORM) regulatory data retention guarantees. Clients can outsource their database to a server with full confidentiality and data access privacy, and, for data retention, the server ensures client access WORM semantics. In general simple confidentiality and WORM assurances are easily achievable e.g., via an encrypted outsourced data repository with server-enforced read-only access to existing records (albeit encrypted). However, this becomes hard when also access privacy is to be ensured – when client access patterns are necessarily hidden and the server cannot enforce access control directly. WORM-ORAM overcomes this by deploying a set of zero-knowledge proofs to convince the server that all stages of the protocol are WORM-compliant. 1

Summary. Digital societies and markets increasingly mandate consistent procedures for the access, processing and storage of information. In the United States alone, over 10,000 such regulations can be found in financial, life sciences, healthcare and government sectors, including the Gramm-

Abstract—We introduce WORM-ORAM, a first mechanism that combines Oblivious RAM (ORAM) access privacy and data confidentiality with Write Once Read Many (WORM) regulatory data retention guarantees. Clients can outsource their database to a server with full confidentiality and data access privacy, and, for data retention, the server ensures client access WORM semantics. In general simple confidentiality and WORM assurances are easily achievable e.g., via an encrypted outsourced data repository with server-enforced read-only access to existing records (albeit encrypted). However, this becomes hard when also access privacy is to be ensured – when client access patterns are necessarily hidden and the server cannot enforce access control directly. WORM-ORAM overcomes this by

Regulatory frameworks impose a wide range of policies in finance, life sciences, health-care and the government.