Technical FAQ
Technical questions about Nonterritorial's blockchain architecture, smart contracts, and infrastructure.
Blockchain & Architecture
Why did you build your own blockchain instead of using Ethereum or Polygon?
We built a sovereign chain because our requirements differ fundamentally from general-purpose blockchains.
Architectural alignment: On EVM chains, preventing speculation means disabling transfers that the infrastructure assumes as default. We'd be fighting the architecture. Our sovereign chain is designed for circulation—non-transferability isn't a restriction, it's the foundation.
Governance independence: Protocol decisions on our chain serve cultural values, not generic platform priorities. We control consensus rules, fee structures, and upgrade paths.
Long-term permanence: Our chain's survival depends on community commitment, not decisions made by Ethereum Foundation or Polygon Labs. Cultural infrastructure needs longer time horizons than platform lifecycles.
Ecosystem foundation: Through IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication), we can connect with other chains while maintaining independence. We envision a network of sovereign cultural infrastructure chains.
What is Cosmos SDK?
Cosmos SDK is an open-source framework for building application-specific blockchains. Unlike Ethereum where all applications share one chain, Cosmos enables sovereign chains that can communicate through IBC.
Used by: Cosmos Hub, Osmosis, Celestia, dYdX, Cronos, and 50+ production chains
Benefits:
Customizable consensus parameters
Modular architecture
Proven security across billions in value
Active developer ecosystem
What is CosmWasm?
CosmWasm is a smart contract platform for Cosmos SDK chains. Contracts are written in Rust and compiled to WebAssembly (Wasm).
Advantages over Solidity/EVM:
Memory safety guaranteed at compile time
No reentrancy vulnerabilities (architectural prevention)
Smaller attack surface
Better tooling and testing frameworks
What consensus mechanism do you use?
CometBFT (formerly Tendermint), a Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus algorithm.
Properties:
Instant finality: No waiting for confirmations
Fault tolerance: Works with up to ⅓ malicious validators
~5 second blocks: Fast transaction confirmation
Deterministic: Same inputs always produce same outputs
How many validators will the network have?
Target: 50–100 validators at maturity.
This balances decentralization with coordination efficiency. Validators are selected for mission alignment, not just stake size—we want cultural institutions, artist collectives, and committed infrastructure providers, not anonymous stake maximizers.
Smart Contracts
What programming language are the contracts written in?
Rust, compiled to WebAssembly via CosmWasm.
Rust provides compile-time guarantees against memory safety bugs that have caused millions in losses on EVM chains (buffer overflows, null pointer dereferences, data races).
Can contracts be upgraded?
Core logic: No. The constitutional protections (anti-speculation, artist share floor, etc.) are immutable.
Parameters: Some operational parameters can be adjusted through governance (fee structures, pricing tiers) but within constitutional bounds.
Bug fixes: Critical security fixes can be deployed through governance with appropriate safeguards (time locks, multi-sig).
How do you prevent reentrancy attacks?
CosmWasm's architecture makes reentrancy impossible by design.
In Solidity, external calls execute during your function—allowing callbacks before state updates complete. In CosmWasm, all state changes commit before any external messages execute:
The attack vector simply doesn't exist.
Where can I see the contract source code?
Source code will be published on GitHub before mainnet launch. All contracts will be verified and auditable.
Currently in development—testnet deployment planned Q1 2026.
Anti-Speculation Design
How do you actually prevent trading?
The transfer function doesn't exist.
This isn't a disabled feature—the concept is absent from our contract architecture. There's no Transfer message, no Approve message, no mechanism to move exhibitions between wallets.
Can't someone just sell their wallet?
Technically, someone could sell their private keys. But this doesn't create a speculative market:
No liquidity: No marketplace, no price discovery, no floor prices
Identity cost: Artist reputation, other works, and governance rights are tied to wallet
Economically irrational: Easier to just keep earning license revenue
No secondary market: The next buyer has the same limitations
What about wrapped tokens?
Wrapper contracts (that hold an asset and issue tradeable receipts) require depositing the underlying token. Since exhibitions can't transfer, they can't be deposited into any wrapper contract. The prerequisite step is impossible.
Could governance vote to enable transfers?
No. Anti-speculation is constitutionally protected—hardcoded constraints that no governance mechanism can override, even with unanimous support.
Tokens & Economics
What is UNT?
UNT (Nonterritorial Token) is the native token of the Nonterritorial chain.
Uses:
Transaction fees
Staking (securing the network)
Governance voting
License payments
How are license fees paid?
Hosts pay in UNT or approved stablecoins. Payment is converted and distributed automatically by smart contract:
40% → Artist (instant)
20% → Curator (instant)
30% → Operations (instant)
10% → Commission Fund (instant)
What about fiat payments?
We're implementing fiat on-ramps so hosts can pay in EUR, USD, etc. The conversion to on-chain payment happens transparently—hosts don't need crypto expertise.
Is UNT a speculative token?
UNT has utility value (fees, staking, governance) but we've designed against speculative dynamics:
No artificial scarcity mechanisms
Value tied to network usage, not trading
Governance prevents value extraction
Inflation rewards active participants, not holders
Security
Has the code been audited?
Current status: Audits planned for Q1 2026 (pre-mainnet).
Plan:
2–3 independent professional audits
Focus on CosmWasm-specialized firms
Full reports published publicly
What's your bug bounty program?
Launching with mainnet:
Critical
Up to €50,000
High
Up to €20,000
Medium
Up to €5,000
Low
Up to €1,000
Report to: [email protected]
How are admin keys secured?
Multi-signature: 3-of-5 required for privileged operations
Hardware Security Modules: Keys stored in HSMs, never exposed
Geographic distribution: Signers in different locations
No single point of failure: No individual can act alone
What happens if a validator misbehaves?
Slashing: Validators lose staked tokens for:
Double signing (5% slash, permanent jail)
Extended downtime (0.01% slash, temporary jail)
Removal: Governance can remove validators for sustained misbehavior.
Content & Storage
Where is the actual artwork stored?
On-chain: Metadata, ownership records, content hashes, license history
Off-chain (IPFS): Video files, images, extended metadata
The content hash stored on-chain allows anyone to verify IPFS content hasn't been tampered with.
What if IPFS content disappears?
Multiple redundancy layers:
Foundation-operated pinning infrastructure
Commercial pinning services (Pinata, Infura)
Community pinning incentives (planned)
Geographic distribution
Can content be modified after creation?
Content hash: Immutable. Set at creation, never changes.
Metadata: Artist can update descriptive metadata (descriptions, tags) but not the underlying content reference.
Verification: Anyone can hash the IPFS content and compare to on-chain record.
IBC & Interoperability
What is IBC?
Inter-Blockchain Communication—a protocol for trustless communication between sovereign Cosmos chains.
Think of it like TCP/IP for blockchains: standardized messaging that lets independent networks communicate without intermediaries.
Which chains will you connect to?
Planned connections:
Cosmos Hub (ecosystem anchor)
Osmosis (controlled UNT liquidity)
Future possibilities:
Other cultural infrastructure chains
Archive and preservation networks
Cross-chain governance participation
Can tokens move to other chains via IBC?
UNT can move through IBC for liquidity purposes. Exhibitions cannot—they're non-transferable even cross-chain.
Development & Roadmap
When will mainnet launch?
Target: Q2 2026
Prerequisites:
Testnet validation complete
Security audits passed (minimum 2)
Validator set established
Governance activated
How can I run a testnet node?
Testnet planned for Q1 2026. Documentation for node operators will be published before testnet launch.
Validator applications will open during testnet phase.
Is there a developer SDK?
In development. Will be available at mainnet launch with:
Contract interaction libraries
TypeScript/JavaScript SDK
API documentation
Example integrations
Where can I follow development progress?
GitHub: Coming soon
Documentation: nonterritorial.network
Updates: Subscribe at nonterritorial.foundation
Governance
How does governance work?
Multi-stakeholder governance with four councils:
Artist
30%
Creators
Curator
20%
Cultural expertise
Host
25%
Venues and audiences
Investor
25%
Financial stakeholders
Proposals require threshold approval. Constitutional changes require supermajority plus artist council approval.
What can governance change?
Can change:
Operational parameters (fee structures, pricing tiers)
Treasury allocation
New feature activation
Validator requirements
Cannot change (constitutional):
Anti-speculation architecture
Minimum artist share (35% floor)
Geographic accessibility requirements
Provenance immutability
Foundation sunset timeline
How do I participate in governance?
Governance tokens are distributed to:
Artists (for contributing exhibitions)
Curators (for curatorial work)
Hosts (for hosting exhibitions)
Investors (proportional to contribution)
Token holders vote on proposals through the governance module.
Practical Questions
Do I need to understand blockchain to use this?
As an artist or host: No. The platform handles blockchain interactions transparently. You see a normal web interface; blockchain is infrastructure, not interface.
As a developer or validator: Yes. Technical documentation assumes blockchain familiarity.
What wallet do I need?
Recommended: Keplr (browser extension and mobile) Also supported: Leap, Cosmostation, and other Cosmos-compatible wallets
Coming: Custodial options for users who don't want to manage wallets
What are transaction fees?
Approximately €0.01–0.05 per transaction. Significantly lower than Ethereum mainnet, comparable to other Cosmos chains.
License fees are separate from transaction fees and determined by exhibition pricing.
How fast are transactions?
~5 seconds to finality. When you see confirmation, it's final—no waiting for additional blocks, no risk of reversal.
Technical FAQ | Nonterritorial Network Sovereign Infrastructure for Autonomous Art Circulation
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