ROND is in its concept phase – which is exactly why now is the right time to get involved. The architecture is a draft, the open questions are identified, and the answers will shape the next version of the protocol. Here are the concrete tasks we are working on.
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Cryptography
What we need: experience with formal protocol specification and cryptographic security proofs.
Open Tasks
Model the storage layer:
Realistic capacity estimates for the federated network at various user counts and storage tiers. What is technically and economically feasible?
Specify a crypto-agility mechanism:
What does a concrete re-encryption flow look like when an algorithm is deprecated? In particular: what happens in the legacy case without an active user?
Post-quantum strategy:
Hybrid encryption (classical + PQ) as default – which combinations, which libraries, what are the performance implications?
Formally model the guardian quorum:
Probability analysis for collusion, failure, and false-positive triggers over extended time periods.
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Legal
What we need: expertise in inheritance law, data protection (GDPR), eIDAS 2.0, and/or nonprofit governance.
Open Tasks
GDPR compliance assessment:
Formal review of the architecture regarding data protection. In particular: which data qualifies as personal data? How does the system relate to GDPR after the user's death?
Legacy Protocol legal framework:
Is an automatically executed trigger legally equivalent to a will? What are the boundaries under EU and national law?
eIDAS 2.0 compliance:
Review of the planned EUDI integration against the current regulation and the Architecture Reference Framework.
Secure nonprofit status:
Legal opinion on the tax-exempt nonprofit structure under German and EU law.
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Integrity Anchor & Distributed Systems
What we need: experience with tamper-evident registers, distributed systems, and formal verification.
Open Tasks
Evaluate the integrity anchor:
Which mechanisms can keep rules, public keys, and hashes tamper-evident and provable over decades? Comparison by security assumptions, operating cost, governance, and legal implications. The decision is open – the corresponding Architecture Decision Record ADR-003 carries the status "Proposed".
Model the cost:
What does ongoing operation cost per candidate mechanism? Is the model economically viable for 450M users?
Specify trigger and quorum logic:
Deterministic, auditable activation without a single manipulable authority – independently of the chosen anchor.
Formal verification:
Security proofs for the trigger and quorum mechanisms.
🖥️
Infrastructure
What we need: experience with federated system operations, self-hosting, high availability.
Open Tasks
Specify the node software:
What must a storage node be capable of? API definition, monitoring, self-healing, SLA reporting.
Design the federation protocol:
How do nodes discover each other? How is reputation measured? How does automatic re-replication work? For node discovery the decision is open – the corresponding Architecture Decision Record ADR-004 carries the status "Proposed".
Document a reference setup:
Minimal node operation on own hardware – requirements, costs, operational overhead.
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UX & Design
What we need: experience with trust UX, accessibility, and hiding complexity from end users.
Open Tasks
Design the onboarding flow:
What does the path from "never heard of it" to "EUDI-verified in the registry" look like? Wireframes and user flows.
Design the legacy setup:
How do you ask people about their death without making them uncomfortable? UX patterns for a sensitive topic.
Guardian management:
How does a non-technical user manage their guardians, trigger conditions, and recipients?
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Civil Society & Funding
What we need: connections to foundations, NGOs, and funding programmes in the digital sovereignty space.
Open Tasks
Prototype Fund application:
Review and feedback on the proposal.
Map the funding landscape:
Which European foundations fund projects in digital civil rights and open-source infrastructure?
Institutional contacts:
Notary chambers, insurance associations, health authorities – who are the right contacts for pilot projects?