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LifeSignal

Securely pass your secrets to heirs with a fully decentralized solution after death.

LifeSignal

Created At

ETHGlobal Cannes

Project Description

This project (our first complex web3 project) enables individuals to securely pass on critical digital assets to their heirs after death, without relying on centralized custodians. Users can create a vault on a confidential EVM that ensures the content of transactions remain private. Each vault contains encrypted private documents, such as account credentials, private keys, or legal files, alongside a list of trusted Ethereum wallet addresses, called heirs, who are authorized to access the vault upon the owner's death. To prevent unauthorized access, a decentralized death verification process is in place. Contacts of the user can collectively initiate a death claim through a voting mechanism. We also considered later integrating a regular life signal ping or using government APIs to suspect user death. Once a majority vote is reached, a grace period begins, giving the owner a final opportunity to prove they are still alive, typically by submitting a life signal. If the owner does not respond in time, the vault is marked as confirmed deceased, and the authorized contacts can retrieve the encrypted files. All files are securely stored in a decentralized file storage network optimized for privacy, durability, and performance. This ensures your digital legacy is preserved and securely transmitted to your chosen heir, even in your absence.

How it's Made

We built a decentralized inheritance platform using Hardhat 2 to ensure your secrets don't die with you. This project empowers users to create secure vaults on a confidential EVM (Oasis Sapphire), where sensitive files, such as account passwords, private keys, or critical documents, can be safely uploaded and encrypted. To store these files, we chose WALRUS, a decentralized storage network that was the perfect match for our use case. Unlike traditional IPFS or cloud storage, WALRUS offers confidential blob storage, ideal for inheritance, where privacy and integrity are non-negotiable. It ensures tamper-resistant, high-availability storage with built-in encryption at rest, access control, and retrievability guarantees over time. WALRUS also supports read/write capabilities with minimal latency, making it not just secure, but also practical for heirs retrieving sensitive data. Its cold-storage economics allowed us to scale affordably without compromising on durability or decentralization. When a user’s death is detected, designated heirs are granted access to the vault and can retrieve their encrypted assets through WALRUS, ensuring a seamless, private, and permanent transfer of their digital legacy.

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