Quantum Algorithms Database
Quantum Secret Sharing
A protocol for splitting a secret among multiple parties using entangled quantum states, such that the secret can only be reconstructed if a sufficient number of parties cooperate.
Year
1999 (Hillery, Bužek & Berthiaume)
Inventor(s)
Hillery, Bužek & Berthiaume
Speedup Type
No Speedup Claimed
Difficulty
★★★★☆
The Problem
Distributing a sensitive piece of information among several people so that no single person (or small group) can access it alone, but a sufficient quorum acting together can.
How It Works
Distributes shares of a multi-party entangled state to each participant; reconstructing the original secret requires combining measurements from enough participants according to the protocol's threshold rules.
Real-World Impact
Relevant to securing highly sensitive information (like nuclear launch codes or critical cryptographic keys) where distributed trust and quantum-level security guarantees both matter.