# Ghostshroud Privacy Stack Specification

## Overview
Ghostshroud is the privacy protection layer for the Vaultfire protocol. It composes interoperable modules that extend the forkable architecture with post-quantum resilience, zero-knowledge execution, and consent-governed transparency. The stack centers ethics-first enforcement aligned with the Ghostkey-316 framework, ensuring that advanced obfuscation never compromises mission integrity.

## Design Principles
- **Proof-First Trust**: Every private computation and data exchange emits verifiable proofs consumed by the Vaultfire consensus layer.
- **Post-Quantum Survivability**: All cryptographic surfaces use lattice-based, NIST finalist primitives or compatible fallbacks.
- **Consent as Code**: Usage of personal data is mediated through programmable consent artifacts and audit logs.
- **Ethical Override**: Safety guards halt or downgrade privacy features when Ghostkey-316 ethical rules trigger.
- **Forkable Modularity**: Each module exposes adapter interfaces compatible with Vaultfire fork manifests.

## Module Topology
| Module | Purpose | Primary Interfaces |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `zk_core.py` | Zero-Knowledge Execution Core | `Prover`, `Verifier`, `CircuitRegistry`, Vaultfire proof bus |
| `privacy_mesh.yaml` | Neuro-Symbolic Privacy Mesh configuration | Mesh overlay orchestrator, neural resonance nodes |
| `identity_cloak.js` | StealthSync Identity Shield | Vaultfire identity daemon, proxy wallet rotation hooks |
| `consent_contract.sol` | Consent-Based Transparency Layer | Vaultfire governance chain, consent token registry |
| `audit_shredder.py` | Audit-Proof System Memory | Vaultfire log router, burn attestations |

Additional components (Encrypted Intent Broadcasting, Ethical Override) are delivered through shared adapters in the modules above to keep the surface area composable.

## Execution Flow
1. **Intent Capture**: Users submit encrypted intents via Vaultfire clients. `identity_cloak.js` wraps the payload with disposable identities and encrypted mixnet routes.
2. **Consent Validation**: Before processing, `zk_core.py` queries the on-chain `ConsentRegistry` contract to ensure consent scopes cover the requested action.
3. **Zero-Knowledge Execution**: Circuits registered in `zk_core.py` execute the private logic, producing SNARK/STARK proofs and quantum-safe commitments.
4. **Privacy Mesh Routing**: The Neuro-Symbolic Mesh defined in `privacy_mesh.yaml` obfuscates behavioral metadata by blending signals across mesh strata while respecting ethical overrides.
5. **Proof Publication**: Verifiable proofs and compressed traces are submitted to Vaultfire consensus. Only proof artifacts, not raw data, reach validators.
6. **Audit Shredding**: Once obligations are met or burn requests are triggered, `audit_shredder.py` fragments residual memory shards and issues immutable burn proofs.

## Zero-Knowledge Execution Core
- Supports pluggable proving backends: Groth16 (SNARK) and StarkWare-compatible AIR definitions.
- Maintains a circuit registry with metadata about consent scopes and ethical guardrails.
- Outputs proof bundles signed with Dilithium keys and encrypted using Kyber encapsulation for validator sets.

## Quantum-Resistant Encryption Layer
- `identity_cloak.js` handles Kyber (KEM) for shared secret establishment and Dilithium for identity attestation.
- Ephemeral key derivation relies on Vaultfire entropy beacons plus Ghostshroud entropy stretchers to guard against lattice attacks.
- Shared `crypto_profile` objects allow Vaultfire forks to swap implementations without changing the interface.

## Neuro-Symbolic Privacy Mesh
- YAML configuration defines neural resonance channels, symbolic guard predicates, and obfuscation intensities.
- Mesh nodes leverage federated learning weights with privacy budgets enforced per cohort.
- Belief obfuscation overlays randomize behavioral signatures while respecting Ghostkey-316 ethics thresholds.

## StealthSync Identity Shield
- Implements rotating stealth addresses derived from BLS seeds or Dilithium signatures depending on fork settings.
- Disposable identities expire automatically based on consent contract signals or anomaly detection triggers.
- Mixnet hops are pluggable to support Firo, Monero, or custom Vaultfire relays.

## Consent-Based Transparency Layer
- `consent_contract.sol` issues programmable consent tokens with scoping across purpose, duration, and data class.
- Off-chain modules only process data when a valid consent attestation exists and is verifiable via zk proofs.
- Consent usage is logged in encrypted form and can be audited with user permission.

## Encrypted Intent Broadcasting
- Intents are split into threshold-encrypted bundles. Only quorum-approved nodes holding decryption shares can reveal them.
- Broadcast metadata is padded and randomized by the privacy mesh to prevent traffic correlation.

## Audit-Proof System Memory
- Log fragments are stored using Shamir secret sharing across Vaultfire storage shards.
- Burn procedures require zk attested proof-of-burn, ensuring no unauthorized recovery.
- Ethics override hooks can retain minimal evidence when abuse patterns emerge while preserving user privacy.

## Ethical Override Integration
- Every module exposes a `check_ethics(signal)` hook referencing the Ghostkey-316 Ethics Framework library.
- Overrides can escalate to Vaultfire governance for investigation while still respecting consent boundaries.
- Audit trails preserve ethical decision-making proofs without leaking personal data.

## Deployment & Forking Considerations
- Ship modules via Vaultfire module registry with semantic versioning.
- Forks MUST retain the ethics override hooks and consent enforcement layers.
- Provide upgrade plans that respect already-issued consent tokens and burn proofs.

## Testing & Validation
- zk circuits verified with unit tests using mocked witness data.
- PQ crypto verified with known-answer tests and compatibility checks against Vaultfire crypto harnesses.
- Governance integration tested through simulated consent issuance and revocation flows.

Ghostshroud ensures privacy, consent, and ethics remain first-class citizens for Vaultfire’s future-facing protocol evolution.
