Definition
Plain language
A classic setup where two prisoners must plan an escape in notes a warden reads, without the warden ever realizing they're planning anything.
As stated in the literature
Simmons's 1984 framing of the steganography problem — Alice and Bob communicate covertly through a channel monitored by a warden — used as the conceptual basis for undetectable multi-agent communication.
Also called: Prisoners Problem, Prisoner's Problem
Why it matters: It matters because it frames the core challenge of hiding communication in plain sight, which shapes how covert agent messaging is studied.
For example, two prisoners might hide an escape plan inside chatty letters so the guard reading them notices nothing unusual.
Heard on the show
“… technical term tap-to-define, with links to the related papers grouped by theme, from the Prisoners' Problem to the watermarking work this builds on. …”Episode 184 — An AI Built an Undetectable Secret Channel, And Another AI Couldn't Find It