Work

Send Message to the Future? Blockchain-Based Time Machines for Decentralized Reveal of Locked Information

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Conditional information reveal systems automate the release of information upon meeting specific predefined conditions, such as a designated time in the future. This paper presents a new practical timed-release cryptography system that “sends messages in the future” with highly accurate decryption times. The core of the proposed system is a novel secret sharing scheme with verifiable information reveal, and a data sharing system is devised on smart contracts. This paper also introduces a breakthrough in the understanding, design, and application of conditional information reveal systems that are highly secure and decentralized. A complete evaluation portfolio is provided to this pioneering paradigm, including analytical results, a validation of its robustness in the Tamarin Prover and a performance evaluation of a real-world, open-source system prototype deployed across the globe. Using real-world election data, we also demonstrate the applicability of this innovative system in e-voting, illustrating its capacity to secure and ensure fair elections.

Source: IEEE Transactions on Network and Service Management

DOI: 10.1109/tnsm.2025.3604833

Authors: Zhuolun Li, Srijoni Majumdar, Evangelos Pournaras

Institution: University of Leeds

Language: English

Topic: Cryptography and Data Security

Subfield: Artificial Intelligence

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,645

Funder: UK Research and Innovation