Heritage preservation in quantum computing era – reference procedures

Many cultural heritage preservation processes today are linked to digital technology. Not only are traditional artifacts being digitized and stored in digital form, but more and more new artifacts are being created natively in digital form. Once they are in digital form, cryptography is a key means of preserving them. However, due to advances in quantum computing, many of the cryptographic means used today are at risk. And not only cryptographic means, but also advanced architectures such as blockchains, which are increasingly used for the preservation of cultural heritage. Therefore, an analysis that focuses on the preservation of digital and digitized cultural heritage serves as a starting point for deriving appropriate reference procedures considering the aforementioned developments. In order to understand these procedures, one must also be familiar with the associated conceptual changes resulting from the quantum computing paradigm. This will enable the profiles involved to anticipate and implement appropriate solutions when needed. Furthermore, the procedures developed have been experimentally applied to a novel blockchain architecture called Culturae Archivum that focuses on the (trans)national level and is in line with recent efforts towards sustainability in our societies.