[Cryptography] Blockchain without proof of work

[Ángel]

On 2019-01-03 at 13:29 -0500, Phillip Hallam-Baker wrote:
> As of 1st Jan, I am no longer employed by Comodo Group or any other CA
> or browser provider. So I am looking at new directions. One of these
> is a video blog: PHB's CryptoWar which will follow my various
> interests from politics, to cryptography to prop making.
> 
> 
> To start it off: here are three commitments which are the names of
> three individuals who I expect to see indicted/charged with serious
> crimes in the near future:
> 
> 
> UDF=KD25H-GSNE2-JVVJE-RXTMA-7VAWT
> UDF=KCOO3-EKPAG-FKYFC-O2B2N-O3UUA
> UDF=KBR3A-RQLV7-SMB6X-6OB7X-JMBNT  

> [These names are also known to at least two international news
> organizations who like myself are allowing the authorities to complete
> their work.]
> 
> 
> The kommitments provide a cryptographic means of proving that I knew
> something at a particular time without revealing it (yet). They
> demonstrate both the use of a digest function and the advantage of
> using a key.
> 
> 
> The next obvious technical topic to tackle is blockchain. Right now,
> blockchain is using more electricity than Ireland and minting several
> billion worth of new currency to process fewer transactions than a
> moderately busy CostCo.
> 
> 
> So what is the current state of the art on blockchain without proof of
> work? Harber and Stornetta suggested publication in the Times. Which
> is of course recourse to a higher level notary. The next obvious
> approach is a circular firing squad of notaries that cross notify. Has
> anyone published anything further I should present?

You will probably think this is a very gross solution, but my initial
idea for the stated problem was that you simply obtained (eg. with Lets
Encrypt, but you can pay for it, too) HTTPS certificates for:

KD25H-GSNE2-JVVJE-RXTMA-7VAWT.villain1of3.20190101prediction.hallambaker.com
KCOO3-EKPAG-FKYFC-O2B2N-O3UUA.villain2of3.20190101prediction.hallambaker.com
KBR3A-RQLV7-SMB6X-6OB7X-JMBNT.villain3of3.20190101prediction.hallambaker.com

and rely heavily on the CT logs to prove so that there was only a single
20190101 prediction and that you didn't backdate it (something for which
we have less guarantees, probably this would be based on trusting the CA
ways to make Not before as the Creation value).

Att least it is immensely cheaper than storing the same data in the
bitcoin blockchain.

Cheers