NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #26/NN_1992_26.iso/spool/sci/crypt/4542

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-10 | 1.6 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!bu.edu!transfer.stratus.com!ellisun.sw.stratus.com!cme
From: [e-mail] (Carl Ellison)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: time-release keys
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 10 Nov 92 14:43:20 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering
Lines: 26
NNTP-Posting-Host: ellisun.sw.stratus.com


For things like sealed archives (things kept secret for 30 years, for
example) we depend on some human to obey the rules -- release the sealed
material on time and not allow anyone to look at it early.

If we were to have a radio relay station on the moon with ability to
decrypt via its own RSA key (for example), we could send it a message and
have the decrypted message come back precisely delayed from the time of
transmission.  No one could read it on its way out, so the delay meets the
requirements I'd like to satisfy for sealed archives -- only the delay is a
little short.

We could encrypt millions of times over, using different keys, but the
computation time preparing the secret might take longer than the
transmission (or at least a sizeable fraction of it).


Does anyone out there have an idea of how to achieve this time-release of
info (probably of an encryption key rather than of a body of text) with the
independence of human good behavior but a decent time interval?

--
-- <<Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are my own, of course.>>
-- Carl Ellison                        [e-mail]
-- Stratus Computer Inc.    M3-2-BKW        TEL: [phone]
-- 55 Fairbanks Boulevard ; Marlborough MA 01752-1298    FAX: [phone]