Gordian Clubs Technology

Gordian Clubs are built atop the Gordian stack. Following is a listing of the major building blocks.

Data Encoding & Storage

• 🔟 dCBOR (Deterministic CBOR)
  • Binary encoding which ensures that identical semantics always produces identical bytes
• 🔗 Uniform Resources
  • Text encoding for binary dCBOR data.
  • Uses 💬 Bytewords.
• 📦 Gordian Envelope (Smart Document Architecture)
  • Subject-predicate-object semantic structure.
  • Selective disclosure through elision or encryption
    • Reveal only what’s needed
  • Radically recursive: everything is an Envelope.

Identity, Verification & Authorization

• 🅧 XIDs (eXtensible IDentifiers)
  • 32-byte cryptographic identifiers derived from keys (🅧 7e1e25d7…)
  • Resolve to XID Documents with communication keys, endpoints, permissions, etc.
  • Support key rotation while maintaining stable identity
• 🎫 Permits (Multiple Ways to Access Same Content)
  • Each permit type decrypts to the same base symmetric key
  • XID permits, public-key permits, SSKR threshold shares, password permits
• 🅟 Provenance Marks (Cryptographic Edition Ordering)
  • Sequential, tamper-evident chains of document versions
  • Permit Editions within a Club
  • Enable write access validation and update authorization
  • Human-readable names using 💬 Bytewords (🅟 KNOB BETA AQUA NOON) for easy verification

Communication

• 🔒 GSTP: Secure Multi-Party Coordination
  • Transport-agnostic protocol (works over Bluetooth, QR, NFC)
  • Encrypted message exchange with state preservation
  • Enables secure coordination without infrastructure
  • Can support multiparty signing of new Editions
  • Can release Edition updates (but this infrastructure is not required)

Schnorr

• 🤝 FROST (Flexible Round-Optimized Schnorr Threshold)
  • M-of-N threshold signatures indistinguishable from single signatures for online group signing
  • Privacy-preserving: Can’t tell which specific members participated
  • Enables group decision-making without revealing individual votes
  • Support release of updated Editions
• 🖋️ Adapter Signatures
  • Conditions embedded in signatures
  • Allows for delegation of read and write access
  • See “Clubs Delegation and Cryptographic ocaps” for more.

Cryptographic Maturity Levels

The cryptography within Gordian Clubs is at variable levels of maturity. Audits are needed for some systems, while others are in a research phase that might enable future capabilities.

Production Ready

• SSKR for permits (formal security proofs, audited implementations)
• FROST and MuSig2 for threshold signatures (formal security proofs, audited implementations)
• ChaCha20-Poly1305 as Gordian Envelope’s core cryptography (proven implementations)

Requires Formal Security Audit

• Gordian Envelope’s unique elision and permit primitives
• Schnorr adaptor signatures for single-key capabilities (proven primitive, novel application to access control)
• Integration of adaptor signatures with Gordian Clubs for read/write delegation
• Combinations of adaptor signatures with FROST/MuSig2

Research Phase

• Threshold-based capability delegation (plausible but unproven extensions)
• Key agreement protocols leveraging FROST/MuSig2 shared material
• Scriptless scripts for complex authorization logic