Lamport's initial digital signature algorithm was impractical because it required roughly 128 bits to sign a single bit of data; however, by hashing documents first (using a one-way hash that cannot be forged or reversed), the overhead becomes manageable.
factualpending
Speaker
Leslie LamportEvidence Quote
“It was not practical at the time because it it required basically something like uh you know 128 bits to sign one bit of the you know of of the thing they're signing.”
Source
Turing Award Winner: Thinking Clearly, Paxos vs Raft, Working With Dijkstra | Leslie Lamport— Ryan PetermanCreated: 8/12/2026, 6:17:50 PM
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