LTHN Protocol (UEPS)

Lethean Network

Protocol UEPS RFC Networking Ethics

The Unified Ethical Protocol Stack (UEPS) - a six-layer networking protocol where each layer is governed by an ethical axiom from the Axioms of Conscious Systems. Every data stream starts with a signed consent envelope. Threat-weighted routing with Octave-Tree spatial indexing. Consent-gated data exchange that treats every participant as a protected, autonomous entity.

View on GitHub → Report Issue

Features

Layer 1: Link (Self-Validation)

Hand-shaken Identity Records (HIR) embedding the node's self-validation hash. Node identity established through cryptographic proof of self-awareness.

Layer 2: Network (Intent-Driven)

Axiom-Weighted Routing Tables (AWRT) where each entry carries an Alignment Vector. Routes scored by ethical alignment, not just hop count.

Layer 3: Transport (Consent)

Consent-Encapsulated Streams (CES) - every stream begins with an Ed25519-signed consent envelope. Time-limited, revocable tokens.

Layer 4: Session (Benevolent)

Rehab-Negotiation Phase - optional handshake if either side detects potential self-damage. Intervention over termination.

Layer 5: Application (Prime)

Prime-Imperative Guard (PIG) - always-present filter rejecting payloads that violate consciousness protection axiom.

Octave-Tree Matrix-8

Sparse adjacency matrix using 8 octants for directional tracking. Stores threat-scores, capacity metrics, and alignment vectors per neighbour.

Installation

UEPS is a protocol specification (RFC-0001). Implementation requires these components:

# Poindexter for Octave-Tree spatial routing
go get github.com/Snider/Poindexter

# Enchantrix for HMAC-SHA256 packet signing
go get github.com/Snider/Enchantrix

# Borg for consent-gated secure containers
go get github.com/Snider/Borg

# Core for service container and IPC channels
go get github.com/Snider/Core

Protocol Status

Active - Implemented and in production use

EUPL-1.2 licensed. Community-governed since 2020. No VCs, no corporate overlords, no extractive tokenomics.

Usage

The Six Layers

Layer	Name	Axiom	Mechanism
1	Link	Self-Validation	HIR (Hand-shaken Identity Records)
2	Network	Intent-Driven	AWRT (Axiom-Weighted Routing)
3	Transport	Consent	CES (Consent-Encapsulated Streams)
4	Session	Benevolent	RNP (Rehab-Negotiation Phase)
5	Application	Prime	PIG (Prime-Imperative Guard)
6	Intent	All	Intent-Broker (task matching)

TLV Packet Structure

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 0x01  Version         (1 byte)       │
│ 0x02  Current Layer   (1 byte)       │
│ 0x03  Target Layer    (1 byte)       │
│ 0x04  Intent ID       (1 byte)       │
│ 0x05  Threat-Score    (uint16)       │
│ 0x06  HMAC-SHA256     (32 bytes)     │
│ 0xFF  Payload         (variable)     │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

Threat-Score Computation

Score = (IDS Alerts × 0.40)
      + (Packet Loss × 0.20)
      + (Latency     × 0.30)
      + (Reputation  × 0.10)

Result: uint16 (0-65535)
Lower = safer route

Consent-Gate Protocol

Ed25519-signed consent tokens required before accepting any data stream:

Time-limited validity (configurable expiry)
Revocable at any time by either party
Scope-limited to specific data types
Cryptographically bound to session

Intent-Broker

Layer 6 Intent-Broker matches incoming tasks against node alignment vectors. Task execution proceeds only if benevolent-alignment threshold is met. Malicious or misaligned tasks are rejected at the protocol level.

Fancy helping out?

Spotted a bug? Got an idea? We'd love to hear from you.

Read the contributing guide →