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After the Belfast Project Fiasco, Time For Another Look At Time Capsule Crypto?

Posted by samzenpus on from the time-after-time dept.

JonZittrain (628028) writes "I'm curious whether there are good prospects for 'time capsule encryption,' one of several ways of storing information that renders it inaccessible to anyone until certain conditions — such as the passage of time — are met? Libraries and archives could offer such technology as part of accepting papers and manuscripts, especially in the wake of the 'Belfast Project' situation, where a library promised confidentiality for accounts of the Troubles in North Ireland, and then found itself amidst subpoenas from law enforcement looking to solve long-cold cases. But the principle could apply to any person or company thinking that there's a choice between leaving information exposed to leakage, or destroying it entirely. Some suggested solutions are very much out of the box."

4 of 170 comments (clear)

  1. Re:If your encryption is secure, the key is the se by Ecuador · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Send it on an elliptical orbit around the sun. Depending how many years you want before the key is back in our neighborhood, you select the appropriate orbit. Hmm, perhaps SpaceX should look into it and start commercializing such a service ;)

    --
    Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
  2. Re:Lawyer up by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is ,of course, the right answer: laws, not encryption. The smartest people are the ones that examine the entire premise, instead of going along with the implied boundaries of a task.

    --
    Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
  3. Ocean by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Easier idea. Put the data in a tiny pressurized capsule and drop it deep in the ocean. After a set amount of time the capsule is designed to inflate an air bladder, rise to the surface and transmit via radio frequency.

    There's no way to retrieve this ahead of time because:
    1. The ocean is vast and the capsule is tiny.
    2. The ocean is so deep that you would have to send a robotic submarine to find it and no one would know where to look. If you can lose a plane at the bottom of the ocean, you can lose a 1 foot capsule even more easily.

  4. Re:If your encryption is secure, the key is the se by AJWM · · Score: 4, Funny

    A hobbit. They can be trusted. Don't you know nothin'?

    No. Then it'd have to be a whole key ring.

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    -- Alastair