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If a quantum computer gets good enough to crack common encryption algorithms, what are the consequences for decentralized storage? Could some hostile nation state just collect and store the data until such time they can decrypt it?

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We'll have much bigger fish to fry than worrying about decentralized storage.

Sure, that’s true. However, I would personally like to know whether “all my files being out in the open forever” is a thing I need to worry about in addition to all the default problems

If encryption gets cracked by quantum computing, everything digital that's connected to the Internet, is "out in the open" until quantum-proof encryption becomes the norm.

The only way to be sure would be to physically self-host with the option to air gap the storage from the Internet.

That's a great point. However, in Slik's case, the data is first fragmented into small chunks and then distributed into a decentralized storage. Thus, for a bad actor to pose a problem, they'll also have to collect all the encrypted chunks, before making any sense out of it.

Okay so the chunks are distributed, a follow up question is are they duplicated to multiple copies per chunk? I ask because if one chunk is lost then the data would be unusable wouldn't it?

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