New Bitcoin quantum proposal offers Satoshi Nakamoto a way to prove control without moving BTC
A new design proposed by venture fund Paradigm would let holders privately timestamp proof that they control vulnerable keys before quantum computers arrive, creating a possible rescue path if Bitcoin ever sunsets old addresses.
What to know:
- A new proposal called Provable Address-Control Timestamps, or PACTs, aims to protect old bitcoin wallets from future quantum-computing attacks without forcing their owners to move coins now.
- PACTs let holders privately timestamp cryptographic proofs of ownership today and later use quantum-resistant STARK proofs to unlock their coins if the network freezes vulnerable addresses.
- The system would require Bitcoin to adopt new STARK verification infrastructure via a soft fork and can only safeguard Satoshi Nakamoto’s coins if whoever controls those keys acts before quantum theft or a community-imposed freeze occurs.
The obvious defense is a soft fork (or an upgrade to existing network rules) that eventually stops allowing spends from those legacy address types, forcing holders to move into quantum-safe formats before attackers can derive their private keys.
Prominent developer Jameson Lopp and five other developers proposed exactly that in mid-April through BIP-361, which would phase out quantum-vulnerable addresses on a five-year timeline and freeze any coins that fail to migrate.
That proposal created a different problem, however. Satoshi, and every other long-dormant holder, would have to wake up publicly or risk losing access to their assets.
Dan Robinson, a general partner at Paradigm, published a proposal Friday for a way around that trade-off that revolves around the concept of Provable Address-Control Timestamps, or PACTs.
