Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

How are people dealing with crypto/bitcoin inheritance?

Dead man's switch (or euphemistically, "Google Inactive Account Manager") that emails inheritee(s) with instructions for retrieving encrypted keys from a safe deposit box or other location, along with password for decryption and distribution allocation?

Just giving private keys directly to your lawyer, sealed in your will, or encrypted with some type of challenge that only inheritees would know?



There are a couple of cryptocurrency inheritance management startups: https://www.digipulse.io is up and running and https://safehaven.io at the pre-ICO stage. Disclaimer: I haven't researched thoroughly so I can't comment on how secure etc. these are.


I'd expect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamir%27s_Secret_Sharing to become the standard way, but I don't know how easy it is to set up yet among non-programmers.


How have people always dealt with this? Wills and lawyers. Why is HN trying to (poorly) reinvent probate law? Yes, give the keys to your lawyer. Or, if you’re uncomfortable with that, open a safe deposit box and keep important documents there that your lawyer/family can access after you die.


a bitcoin private key is essentially a piece of gold bullionl Keep it locked up somewhere safe, and give the key to someone you trust.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: