How did Satoshi Nakamoto's 1.1 million BTC escape quantum catastrophe? @Paradigm offers a new solution👇
Previously, the Bitcoin community's discussion on quantum security was stuck in a deadlock:
Once quantum computers truly arrive, old addresses (the pre-2012 batch, including Satoshi's own) public keys are exposed on the blockchain,
Either move the coins in advance (Satoshi appears?),
Or wait to be stolen or community soft-fork frozen.
Both options look bad. Paradigm's Dan Robinson proposed a third way on May 1: PACTs
【What is a PACT】
Full name: Provable Address-Control Timestamps,
In plain language — it's about quietly adding a timestamp to "I still control this private key."
No moving coins, no broadcasting on-chain, no exposing identity.
【How to add a timestamp】
The holder generates a 256-bit random salt,
Signs a message with BIP-322 to prove control of the address,
Hashes the salt + signature and submits it to OpenTimestamps,
Satoshi Nakamoto himself invented this free timestamping service, just right for use😏
【How to redeem in the future】
If Bitcoin truly implements a quantum sunset, freezing old addresses,
The holder can present a post-quantum STARK proof —
Showing that they knew the private key before a quantum computer could reverse-engineer it.
The coins can then be unfrozen.
All without revealing the address, amount, or timestamp.
【Key limitations】
1️⃣ Only valid for Satoshi himself. If he's truly gone, no one can add a timestamp afterward.
2️⃣ BTC needs a soft fork to implement STARK verification infrastructure, a long road ahead.
3️⃣ The current best practice is to standardize the format early, so everyone can add timestamps in advance.
My judgment is:
PACTs are not a replacement for BIP-361; they are an added soft exit for the hard choice of "must publicly migrate coins" in BIP-361.
The most interesting point is —
It turns the biggest suspense in the entire community — "Should Satoshi reveal himself?" — from a binary choice into a three-way choice.
Vitalik is pushing $ETH quantum upgrades on the fast track, while $BTC 's pace is slower but the ideas are being completed,
PoW and PoS quantum scenarios are both being written, and the next two years will become more and more exciting.✅
