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Sealed Disclosures

Ghost Protocol enables information to be committed now and revealed later, with cryptographic proof that the information was fixed at commit time.

The Pattern​

A sealed disclosure works as follows:

  1. Commit to information. You create a commitment containing specific data at a specific time. The commitment is timestamped by the blockchain.

  2. Wait. Any amount of time passes. The information remains sealed and inaccessible.

  3. Reveal when ready. At a time of your choosing, you reveal the commitment. The data is exposed, and everyone can verify it matches the original commitment.

  4. Verify the timeline. Observers can confirm that the information was committed before it was revealed, and that it has not been altered.

What This Provides​

Sealed disclosures have unique properties:

Tamper-proof timestamps. The commitment proves the information existed at commit time. You cannot backdate or alter the committed data.

Controlled release. You decide when to reveal. No one can force or prevent revelation.

Non-repudiation. Once committed, you cannot deny that you made the commitment. Once revealed, you cannot deny the contents.

Interim secrecy. Before revelation, no one knows what was committed. The information is perfectly private until you choose otherwise.

Categories of Use​

Sealed disclosures enable many categories of applications:

Timestamped evidence. Prove that you had specific information at a specific time, useful for intellectual property, legal evidence, or historical records.

Escrow without trust. Commit to terms that will be revealed when conditions are met, without needing a trusted third party to hold the terms.

Prediction markets. Commit to predictions before outcomes are known, then reveal to prove accuracy.

Embargo management. Prepare announcements that will be released at a specific time, with proof they were prepared in advance.

Will execution. Commit to inheritance instructions that remain private until triggered.

The Power of Provable Timing​

Traditional sealed documents face challenges:

Trust requirements. Someone must hold the sealed document, introducing a trust dependency.

Tampering risk. Physical seals can be broken and replaced. Digital files can be altered.

Verification difficulty. Proving a document was created at a specific time is often impossible.

Ghost Protocol solves these through cryptographic commitment:

  • No one holds your sealed data. You hold the secret.
  • The commitment cannot be altered after creation.
  • The blockchain provides an immutable timestamp.

Design Considerations​

When using sealed disclosures, consider:

Reveal conditions. Will you reveal manually, or can you set up automatic revelation based on external triggers?

Multiple parties. Can multiple people hold parts of the secret, requiring coordination to reveal?

Expiration. Should the disclosure become meaningless after a certain time if not revealed?

Verification scope. Who needs to verify the revelation, and what evidence do they need?

These design choices determine how the sealed disclosure fits into broader systems.