We built Sarcophagus in an effort to solve one of the most fundamental issues in Web3 – secret storage and recovery. It is an on-chain dead man’s switch that runs on the Ethereum network and uses Arweave as the payload repository. While this is just a demo of what is possible, it is a fully functioning dead man’s switch protocol that is usable today. It comes with no guarantees and has not been formally audited.
The core of Sarcophagus is the Arweave network, a decentralized, immutable, and permanent file storage system. You attach a payment to a file when it is submitted to the network; and miners compete to store and serve your file. It acts similar to an annuity. So long as Kryder’s Law holds and the cost of storage continues to fall, these files will remain on chain forever.
We mummify files inside of a multi-layered sarcophagus of encryption. The innermost layer is only able to be decrypted by the recipient’s Ethereum private key, and the outer layer is only able to be decrypted by the contract after a certain block time has passed. The sarcophagus creator can extend the resurrection (the threshold time when the file is available for the recipient to download) at any moment prior to expiration of the previous resurrection period.
Keep everything private and send files to your heirs when you pass away? No problem. Post the recipient private key + arweave location on your twitter bio for public disclosure... no problem. Make the recipient and the creator the same account for self recovery? Also not a problem. The use cases are endless.
Why are we allowing little strings of data like SSSS shares and two-factor backup codes to sit in ancient safe deposit boxes or modern secure enclaves? We have the technology to eliminate the need for physical backups entirely. If we don’t change the current trust model, we’ll be right back where Satoshi began: Asking permission of a corporation to access our value.
It’s our goal to leave secrets to the future, and this demo is our first step in that direction.
We are looking for feedback, contributors, evangelists and novel use cases. Above all else we just want to see this exist in the world. If you would like to be updated periodically please subscribe below. If you would like to contact us please send an email to team @ sarcophagus.io
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