Xaman & natural disasters
Have you ever wondered how well Xaman (formerly Xumm) would survive a natural disaster, an EMP, a solar flare or other catastrophic event? Although such events are historically rare or even hypothetical, they do present a possible danger when it comes to your funds, so let’s consider the possibilities…
What is an EMP?
An EMP stands for Electro Magnetic Pulse. It is brief burst of electromagnetic energy that can disrupt communications, damage electronic equipment and in some cases, physically damage objects such as buildings and aircraft. An EMP can be generated naturally or artificially (nuclear weapons) but in either case, it could cause severe damage to electrical grids and/or communication lines.
What is an solar flare?
A solar flare is an intense eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun’s atmosphere. While a solar flare is not directly dangerous to humans there is a possibility that the effects of a large solar flare could be similar to an EMP.
What is the concern here?
The main concern is that any event that affects the electrical grid or the communication infrastructure of a country, continent, or even the world, would impact the XRP Ledger and therefore put your XRP in danger of being destroyed or becoming inaccessible.
How the XRP Ledger works
The XRP Ledger is run on network validators and full history nodes which are distributed all over the world. With so many machines operated in different geographical locations, with different levels of redundancy on a per machine, per location basis, it is highly unlikely that the same disaster could affect a critical amount of them. Since your XRP exists on the XRPL, as long as even 1 validator or full history node exists anywhere in the world, your XRP still exists. EVERY validator and full history node would need to be destroyed in order for your funds to be lost.
How does this affect Xaman?
Since your XRP exists on the XRP Ledger, your funds exist as long as the XRP Ledger is still operational, however, there are other issues to consider.
Xaman can only be installed on mobile devices which need to be fully operational in order for it to function. (Was your phone affected by the event? Does it still function properly? Can it still be charged?) Let’s assume that your phone has survived the event and is still fully functional and you have a way to charge it.
Xaman needs a way to connect to the internet in order to access the XRP Ledger. (Was the internet or cellular network affected by the event?) If you can not connect to the internet, you can not access your funds.
What does a post EMP/solar flare/natural disaster world look like? Is your plan to use your XRP to barter/purchase items and services? Is the plan to replace the current system of finance with the XRP Ledger after the event?
Has anyone else been as diligent as you were in preparing for the event? We certainly appreciate all of your preparations, but a network is only as useful as the people who use and maintain it. If you are the only one who has an operational validator, an operational phone and an operational cellular tower, than a network of one person is not going to be super helpful.
What about my Xaman cards?
What about the Xaman Servers?
Xaman does not require any of our servers in order to operate. If all our servers were destroyed, Xaman would still function just fine as long as your phone still works and you can connect to the internet.
Summary
Xaman is a self custodial, XRP Ledger wallet that allows you to create and manage XRP Ledger accounts in a safe, secure and user friendly way. It is not effected by EMPs, solar flares or natural disasters. What could be effected by these events is the infrastructure required to access the XRP Ledger. If you are unable to access the XRPL, Xaman is not going to be much use to you.
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