v 01.23 Initial Release - Medium Article

Preface

This study was written to give an exhaustive product market fit overview, and does not constitute any kind of partnership with the mentioned organizations. These are mentioned to provide known examples of where Sarcophagus could be used or integrated based on its given purpose and usecases as a Dead Man’s Switch.

Introduction

The Sarcophagus Dead Man's Switch (DMS) provides a decentralized solution to the problem of data recovery or passdown in the event that a user becomes incapacitated, deceased, or unable to access their data. Its purpose is to store data in an encrypted container(sarcophagus) that can only be accessed by the intended recipient when the creator fails to interact in some way. Once the DMS is triggered, the data can be decrypted using the recipient’s private key. Integrations will enable the use of this process as a back-end tool for a wide range of dApps and applications. This will immutably ensure the safe recovery and transfer of sensitive data and digital assets, including passwords, personal documents, financial records, private keys, and even some legacy applications and services.

General Usecase Overview

Digital Living Will

Sarcophagus was designed as a general purpose tool that can service numerous use cases, but the most commonly referenced usecase, is inheritance/data passdown in a digital world. For this purpose, Sarcophagus enables users to create a Digital Living Will that is encrypted(this keeps it secret until release), and stored on-chain.

A Digital Living Will can be a document that outlines a person's preferences for medical treatment in the event that they become incapacitated or unable to communicate their wishes. In this instance, the designated recipient can access the documents and ensure that the patient's wishes are being respected. It can also be used to store important information such as passwords, email accounts, private keys, and other sensitive data along with instructions to pass on in the case that the owner can no-longer manage them. This ensures that the recipient or heir has access to all the necessary information to carry out accounting, or manage emails and social accounts. Immutable assurance is crucial with important data, and Sarcophagus provides a secure and trustless DMS solution to preserve these digital legacies for future generations.

Stats:

• Google created a DMS for accounts called [Inactive Account Manager](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_man's_switch#:~:text=Google's Inactive Account Manager[17] allows the account holder to nominate someone else to access their services if not used for an extended period (the default is three months).). It allows the account holder to nominate someone else to access their services if not used for an extended period (the default is three months).
• Facebook has a "Legacy Contact" feature that allows users to designate someone to manage their account after they die.
• Microsoft has a "Next of Kin" feature for email accounts.
• Instagram has a "Memorialization" feature.
• The list goes on!

Emergency Communications

Imagine a scenario where a hiker is lost in the wilderness with no way of communicating with the outside world. They could create a sarcophagus DMS to store emergency contact information that can be accessed by designated contacts, such as close family, to then be relayed to park rangers or search and rescue teams. In the event that the hiker becomes incapacitated or unable to communicate, this recipient can access the information and quickly reach out to their loved ones, providing peace of mind for all parties involved.

This technology can also be used in other emergency situations, such as natural disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes, where communication lines may be down or unreliable. By storing emergency contact information in a sarcophagus, users can rest assured that their loved ones will be notified in the event of an emergency, even if they are unable to communicate themselves.