# TACo | Cryptographic Public Good

**TACo** – **T**hreshold **A**ccess **Co**ntrol – is a free and open source public good; cryptographic infrastructure to undergird a *non-surveilling*, *non-rent-seeking*, *non-exploitative* internet. 

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The TACo project is now under the stewardship of the [World Ethical Data Foundation](https://worldethicaldata.org/projects/taco). Although operators may choose to continue running TACo node clients in the interim, a stable version of the service will be relaunched in Q3 2026 – centered around a *Privacy Coalition.* If you represent an organization in the domains of privacy advocacy, anti-surveillance, human rights, encryption/whistleblower technology, or pertinent academic research, and would like to be involved, please get in [touch](https://discord.gg/Rh2728Hk). 
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From an app developer's perspective, TACo is a straightforward and affordable *plugin*. Once integrated, TACo can enforce user-authored *policies* over who or what can **access** sensitive data – without single points of failure, data custodians, or centralized authorities.

This is possible thanks to the TACo *network*; an array of independently-controlled nodes each running the TACo client. Apps that have integrated the plugin connect to the network via the `taco-web` API. Groups of TACo nodes respond to user requests by collectively validating sharing or policies. Specifically, nodes individually verify the requestor's fulfillment of pre-specified conditions, before providing the necessary fragment of *decryption material*, enabling the requestor's *access*. 

Without relying on centralized servers, TACo empowers the application *user* to truly control the conditions under which their data is accessible: by whom, for how long, and contingent on any digital source of truth. 

*For example: share my archive of evidence with journalists if I do not check-in over the next 7 days.* 

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There is also an experimental variant of TACo centered around conditions-based signing. For more information, see [**T**hreshold **A**ction **Co**ntrol](/reference/action-control.md). 
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### **I'm interested in..**

<table data-view="cards" data-full-width="false"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="image">Cover image</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Building with TACo</strong></td><td>Integrate TACo into your application and enable low-trust data sharing and automation workflows for your users.</td><td><a href="/pages/9b0qfE08atzo9AEq3888">/pages/9b0qfE08atzo9AEq3888</a></td><td><a href="/files/OBwZMs7bh2UvPRBHFYOD">/files/OBwZMs7bh2UvPRBHFYOD</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Evaluating TACo's utility</strong></td><td>Learn about TACo's unique capabilities, including expressive condition logic,  infrastructural flexibility, and low-trust model.</td><td><a href="/pages/bHOw2HttmdLB3jHwP0hg">/pages/bHOw2HttmdLB3jHwP0hg</a></td><td><a href="/files/3REDIHtEpjlgQci6RBbC">/files/3REDIHtEpjlgQci6RBbC</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Running a TACo node</strong></td><td>Support TACo's adopting applications by spinning up  a low-memory, low-cost, low-maintenance node client.</td><td><a href="/pages/Hmkn4V4z8VOUUbWRkdz9">/pages/Hmkn4V4z8VOUUbWRkdz9</a></td><td><a href="/files/aeCCJeTuXA4srBcGKNFR">/files/aeCCJeTuXA4srBcGKNFR</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

### **Get Started Now**

* [**Quickstart Guide →**](/for-developers/quickstart-testnet/get-started-with-tac.md)\
  Your first encrypted data sharing / automated signing flow - up and running in minutes.
* [**Join the Community on Discord →**](http://discord.gg/buildwithtaco)\
  Connect with developers, node operators, and the TACo team.
* [**View TACo on GitHub →**](https://github.com/nucypher/taco-web)\
  Explore the codebase, contribute, or file issues.


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.taco.build/getting-started/readme.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.