Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SealTrust answered in plain language.

General Questions

What is SealTrust?

SealTrust is a cryptographic verification and encrypted storage platform for AI training datasets. It provides a way to prove that a dataset is authentic, unmodified, and stored securely - all without requiring trust in any single party.

Think of it like a notary service for data, but instead of trusting a person, you trust math (cryptography) and hardware (secure enclaves).

What problem does SealTrust solve?

The trust problem in AI data.

When you download a dataset for AI training, how do you know:

• It hasn’t been tampered with?
• It’s the same data the uploader originally shared?
• Only authorized people can access it?

SealTrust solves this by:

1. Hashing the original data (creating a unique fingerprint)
2. Encrypting it so only authorized wallets can access it
3. Verifying the metadata in a secure hardware environment
4. Recording everything on-chain as an immutable record

Is SealTrust a marketplace?

No. SealTrust is a verification and storage platform, not a marketplace.

We don’t facilitate buying or selling datasets. We provide the infrastructure to:

• Prove dataset authenticity
• Store datasets securely
• Control who can access them

You can think of us as the “trust layer” that marketplaces or data providers can build on top of.

Who is SealTrust for?

• AI Researchers who need to verify training data integrity
• Data Providers who want to prove their datasets are authentic
• Organizations that need auditable data provenance
• Anyone who needs secure, verifiable data storage

How It Works

What happens when I register a dataset?

Here’s the 6-step process in plain English:

What is a TEE?

TEE stands for Trusted Execution Environment. It’s a secure area of a processor that:

• Runs code in isolation from the rest of the system
• Cannot be accessed by the operating system, hypervisor, or even the cloud provider
• Produces cryptographic proof (attestation) of what code is running

SealTrust uses AWS Nitro Enclaves, Amazon’s TEE technology. When we verify your dataset metadata, even AWS employees cannot see or tamper with the process.

What are PCR measurements?

PCR stands for Platform Configuration Register. These are cryptographic hashes that prove exactly what code is running inside the TEE.

Before trusting a verification, you can check that the PCR values match what’s registered on-chain. This proves the enclave is running the exact code we published.

What is Seal encryption?

Seal is a threshold encryption system built for Sui. Instead of a single key that could be stolen, Seal splits the decryption capability across multiple independent servers.

Key features:

• Threshold decryption: Need 2 out of 3 servers to decrypt (configurable)
• On-chain access control: Your smart contract decides who can decrypt
• No single point of failure: Even if one server is compromised, data stays safe

What is Walrus?

Walrus is a decentralized storage network. Unlike traditional cloud storage:

• No single company controls your data
• Data is split across many nodes
• You get a unique blob_id to retrieve your data later

SealTrust stores encrypted datasets on Walrus, so even the storage providers can’t read your data.

Security Questions

Can SealTrust read my data?

No. Your data is encrypted before it leaves your browser. We never see the unencrypted content.

The encryption flow:

1. You select a file in your browser
2. Browser calculates hash of original file
3. Browser encrypts the file with Seal
4. Only the encrypted blob is uploaded

Can AWS access data in the enclave?

No. AWS Nitro Enclaves are designed so that even AWS administrators cannot access the memory or code inside a running enclave.

The enclave:

• Has no persistent storage
• Cannot be debugged in production
• Communicates only through a secure channel (vsock)
• Generates fresh keys on every boot

What if SealTrust disappears?

Your data is safe because:

1. Encrypted data is on Walrus - decentralized storage that doesn’t depend on us
2. Records are on Sui blockchain - immutable and public
3. Seal keys are distributed - no single party controls decryption

The only thing you’d lose is the verification service. Your data and access control would continue to work.

What if someone gets the original hash?

The hash is public - it’s stored on-chain. This is intentional.

A hash lets you verify data, but it doesn’t let you recreate the data. Think of it like a fingerprint - knowing someone’s fingerprint doesn’t tell you what they look like.

Technical Questions

What blockchain does SealTrust use?

Sui - a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain. We chose Sui because:

• Fast finality (transactions confirm in ~500ms)
• Low gas fees
• Native support for complex objects (our DatasetNFT)
• Great developer tooling (Move language)

What are the on-chain objects?

How do I verify a dataset?

1. Get the original file from the data provider
2. Calculate its SHA-256 hash (use any standard tool)
3. Compare with the original_hash stored on-chain

If they match, the file is authentic and unmodified.

# Example: Calculate hash on Mac/Linux
shasum -a 256 myfile.csv

What file formats are supported?

Any file format works. SealTrust doesn’t care about file contents - we hash and encrypt any binary data.

Common use cases:

• CSV, JSON, Parquet (tabular data)
• Images (PNG, JPEG, etc.)
• Text files
• Archives (ZIP, TAR)

Is there a file size limit?

The practical limits depend on:

• Walrus: Currently handles files up to several GB
• Browser: Large files may be slow to hash/encrypt in-browser

For very large datasets, consider splitting into chunks.

Usage Questions

Do I need a wallet?

Yes. You need a Sui-compatible wallet to:

• Sign transactions
• Register datasets
• Access encrypted data

Recommended wallets:

• Sui Wallet 
• Suiet 
• Ethos 

How much does it cost?

Costs include:

• Sui gas fees - typically a few cents per transaction
• Walrus storage fees - depends on file size and storage duration
• SealTrust - currently free during testnet

Is this on mainnet?

Not yet. SealTrust is currently deployed on Sui Testnet.

Testnet means:

• Free to use (testnet SUI has no real value)
• May have bugs or downtime
• Data may be wiped during upgrades

We’ll announce mainnet launch when ready.

How do I get testnet SUI?

Use the Sui faucet:

1. Go to faucet.sui.io 
2. Connect your wallet
3. Request testnet SUI

Or use the CLI:

sui client faucet

Troubleshooting

”Nautilus unavailable” error

The TEE verification service might be down. Check:

1. Status page  - should return “OK”
2. Try again in a few minutes
3. Contact us if it persists

Transaction failed

Common causes:

• Insufficient gas - get more testnet SUI from faucet
• Network congestion - try again
• Invalid signature - the TEE signature didn’t verify (rare)

Hash mismatch when verifying

If your calculated hash doesn’t match the on-chain hash:

• The file has been modified
• You’re hashing the encrypted file instead of the original
• The file was corrupted during download

More Questions?

• GitHub Issues: github.com/Seal-Trust 
• Documentation: You’re already here!
• Launch App: sealtrust.app 

Can’t find your answer? Open an issue on GitHub and we’ll add it to this FAQ.