---
slug: "GlacialVault"
name: "GlacialVault"
type: "Protocols"
layer: "Society"
ref: "GlacialVault#1735"
sema_id: "sema:GlacialVault#mh:SHA-256:17355c2dc0e9ce3adeaa9062efb0a49d7c4b4f44c6921e4ce103d8e9e9bfbc99"
tags: ["Society","Protocols"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json
url: https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/GlacialVault/
related: ["Decay"]
---

# GlacialVault

Time-locked storage

Layer: Society · Category: Protocols

## Mechanism

Information is encrypted such that it physically cannot be decrypted until a certain amount of time has passed (using Verifiable Delay Functions). No keyholder can rush it. It incorporates a [Decay](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Decay.md) function into the encryption scheme, ensuring decryption is computationally impossible before the delay period.

## Invariants

- Delay time immutable.

## Failure modes

- Hardware speedups reduce the delay.

## Builds on

- [Decay](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/Decay.md) (Physics; References)

## Used by

—

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:GlacialVault#mh:SHA-256:17355c2dc0e9ce3adeaa9062efb0a49d7c4b4f44c6921e4ce103d8e9e9bfbc99`
- Ref: `GlacialVault#1735`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:GlacialVault#mh:SHA-256:f521c96b7e3037f39724b9a723f707ec195074f3099f6b0db122271de96d5677`
  - `sema:GlacialVault#mh:SHA-256:2b9fb3dcc823fcfb25fcf08b01812ecb31a9f584670c9978d0b81e3537ad578c`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/GlacialVault/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.world/bootstrap/#GlacialVault)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap/GlacialVault.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.world/scapes/bootstrap.json)