NNTP also supplies a straightforward Gossip protocol for eventually-consistent distributed pub/sub, and we were using it as far back as the '90s for the control

NNTP also supplies a straightforward Gossip protocol for eventually-consistent distributed pub/sub, and we were using it as far back as the '90s for the control & monitoring of distributed (and regularly disconnected/isolated) international services, and then subsequently for content distribution. The point being, it should not be surprising to anyone that long-established protocol standards are capable and versatile, often fit for many purposes. However, any suggestion that someone may have devised an archival mechanism that involved posting encrypted chunks to Usenet binary groups will be hotly denied.