VRF

A VRF is like a keyed hash whose output comes with a proof: only the holder of the private key can compute the output, but anyone with the public key can verify it was computed correctly. This gives unpredictable yet publicly auditable randomness. VRFs, standardized in RFC 9381, are used in DNSSEC's NSEC5 research, leader election in proof-of-stake blockchains such as Algorand, and other systems that need bias-resistant random selection.