Conditional Information

Definition ∞ Conditional information refers to data or facts that become accessible or usable only upon the fulfillment of specific predefined criteria or events. This type of information is often secured cryptographically, remaining hidden until certain conditions are met on a blockchain or other distributed system. Its controlled release is fundamental for various privacy-preserving protocols and smart contract applications. This controlled access ensures data security until specific triggers activate.
Context ∞ The application of conditional information is central to creating sophisticated smart contracts, escrow services, and privacy solutions in decentralized environments. A significant discussion involves the reliable and tamper-proof verification of conditions, often relying on oracles to feed off-chain data securely. Advances in zero-knowledge proofs and secure multi-party computation aim to enhance the secure handling and disclosure of such data. This technology is vital for complex, privacy-centric decentralized applications.