Society · Protocols
ExpiringToken
Time-decaying privileges
Definition
Mechanism
Access tokens that strictly degrade in capability over time. A fresh key can do everything (Admin). After 1 hour, it degrades to Write-Only. After 2 hours, Read-Only. After 3 hours, Dead. The decay is encoded in the token logic itself. It extends BearerToken by embedding an immutable expiration timestamp within the signed payload.
Invariants
- Expired tokens cannot be revived.
- Monotonic Decay: Capabilities cannot increase over time
- Time-Bound: Token is invalid if CurrentTime > ExpiryTime
Risks
Failure modes
Clock synchronization issues.
Relationships
Builds on
References
Possession-based authorization independent of token representation
Physics
Automatic expiration of stale state
Used by
References
Return concentrated authority when the reason for concentrating it has ended
Reference