Node Slashing & Jail Mechanism

To safeguard Titanium Aether’s stability and integrity, a robust penalty framework is introduced, including Slashing and Jail mechanisms. These apply to all active Validator Nodes to deter misbehavior and enforce accountability.

1. Jail Conditions

Validator nodes may be temporarily jailed under the following conditions:

· Offline for prolonged periods (e.g., failure to sign X consecutive blocks).

· Failure to participate in consensus rounds (e.g., delayed votes, skipped proposals).

· Detected anomalies (e.g., frequent disconnections, software version mismatch).

Jail Enforcement

· Node is suspended and marked as Jailed, losing validation and reward rights.

· Must come back online and execute an unjail transaction to restore eligibility.

· Repeated offenses or severe anomalies may lead to permanent disqualification.

2. Double Signing Slashing

If a validator signs multiple blocks in the same round (double-signing), it will be punished with a token slash and permanent removal from the validator set.

Penalty Actions

· Immediate burn of 5%–10% of staked TTA.

· Node is automatically jailed and permanently blacklisted.

· Offense is broadcast and permanently logged on-chain for public audit.

3. Purpose of the Slashing System

· Reinforces validator accountability and integrity.

· Prevents malicious actions that could compromise consensus or lead to network forks.

· Encourages nodes to maintain high performance and availability.

· Protects network finality and immutability.