The idea is very simple, we would like to provide with a consistent mechanism in order to prove beyond any doubt that a specific crop circle formation was claimed before it appeared into a field.

Just to summarize, we can consider the Project split into five phases:

• Phase 1) circlemakers send US the (encrypted) formation to be realized
• Phase 2) we send the formation to all subscribers of a dedicated mail-list
• Phase 3) crop circle researchers perform their analysis and evaluation
• Phase 4) circlemakers send US the key to unlock the encrypted formation
• Phase 5) we send the key to all subscribers of a dedicated mail-list

Now we are going to explain in details each phase.

First phase (circlemakers: create and send your electronic encrypted file)

If you are a circlemaker, all you need to do is:

• create in advance an electronic format of the formation you are going to make (JPG, GIF)
• encrypt the file with a password that only you know (this is easy, we will tell you how)
• send from an anonymous email account the encrypted file to this address: vault@circlevault.org

Second phase (encrypted file publishing)

At this point circlevault will have a file with your encrypted formation (YEF) inside but, and this is the crucial thing, only you have the key to unlock this information.
If you don't provide with the key, nobody could see or know what your circle is.

Once we would receive this file from you, we:

• check your encrypted file
• encrypt it again with a second very long password (99 characters)
• publish it, i.e. we send your double-encrypted file to all subscribers of a dedicated mail-list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/circlevault/)
• upload your double-encrypted file onto the circlevault web portal (http://www.circlevault.org)

Do you want to test a double-encrypted file with a formation inside?

• you need WinRAR on your PC (see the Submit a Circle section for further details)
• download this file: de_yefsample.rar
• try to uncompress it with the 99-chars password (set by us):

NTJ8P2fYk4CHV9jjb/gRXNJ6lPu0EBUNRW
InzXk669UUo0AyBY5p5y6ej5CYRDUWwd
DIIq5WmIhEnjI0qiWHvOWpKssa0gRW6B1

[paste this string in one line of 99 chars or copy it from here]

• you will find a folder with a new rar file inside, uncompress now the new file with the first password set by the circlemaker: circlemakerpassword
• Were you able to see the encrypted formation?

     Why a dedicated mail-list?

Sending YEF to a dedicated mail-list gives us the capability to provide all subscribers the encrypted file with no doubt, this guarantees that all subscribers will have their own copy of YEF.
Only publishing YEF on the web portal doesn't guarantee that the subscribers downloaded the file before knowing the key to unlock it.

    Why publishing on the web portal?

In this way, everybody can download YEF when they want without being forced to subscribe to the mail-list.
Obviously this doesn't guarantee 100% that YEF couldn't be manipulated before releasing the two keys to unlock it.
For this reason we invite and suggest all crop circle researchers and all people interested into this subject to subscribe our mail-list, it's the only way to receive YEF in real time when provided by circlemakers and it's the only way to be sure 100% that nobody manipulated the file.

Third phase (now it's the crop circles researchers turn)

Crop circles will appear, researchers will do their tests, their analysis, their evaluations so they can decide if a specific formation is man-made or not.
We are not interested in knowing "who said what", we only observe that this phase is what normally happens when crop circles are discovered.

Fourth phase (circlemakers: it's time to unlock the secret!)

It's totally up to you, circlemakers, if you will decide to reveal the password to unlock YEF.
We don't care if you won't reveal the password for a specific YEF you submitted, but if you will do it we strongly suggest you to send your password after the 1st October of the current year, during October-November period. Anyway, circlevault will keep a minimum 30-days delay (file received ==> password publishing) before publishing the password. For further information about this topic and other related topics, please read the FAQs section.
You can send (from the same address you sent the encrypted file) your password for a specific file you submitted to vault@circlevault.org.

Once we will receive your password, we:

• will check if your key really unlock YEF
• will check if the content of the file is pertinent

If everything is ok, we:

• will send the two keys to unlock YEF to all subscribers of a dedicated mail-list (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/circlevault/)
• will publish the keys to unlock YEF onto the circlevault web portal (http://www.circlevault.org)

Fifth phase (target reached)

Now all mail-list subscribers could unlock YEF and see with their own eyes if a specific formation was claimed before it appeared in a field.
Circlemakers will remain anonymous, nobody will know who, when and how many people made that formation.
Crop circle researchers could be 100% sure that they received YEF formation in their own mailbox before it appeared, so they will have the certainty about the creators of a specific formation.