Preservation is a continuing responsibility.
A concrete draft for evaluating providers and contracts. These controls are requirements to build and verify, not claims that Death X already operates them.
Identity and custody
Assign stable identifiers, document consent and collection provenance, record every custody transfer, and define how mislabeling is detected. Keep biological samples and digital records linked without exposing unnecessary identifiers.
Trace a consented test record from intake to retrieval and reconcile its custody log.
Genome deliverables
Specify the specimen, sequencing method, coverage and quality criteria. Retain agreed raw data, reference versions and analysis provenance so future reanalysis remains possible. Separate research measurements from clinical interpretation.
Have an independent qualified party assess a representative deliverable against written acceptance criteria.
Original life records
Preserve originals alongside derivatives, record dates and context, and distinguish generated material from authentic recordings. Define what is excluded and what additional permissions are needed.
Restore a test collection and verify that originals, metadata and permissions remain intelligible.
Access and succession
Define member access, family permissions, appointed successors, withdrawal limits and the decisions permitted after incapacity or death. Plan encryption-key succession and recovery.
Run a documented successor-access exercise with appropriate authorization and without bypassing controls.
Integrity and resilience
Set copy locations, independent failure domains, fixity-check schedules, restoration tests, access logging and incident responsibilities. State the actual service levels only after providers agree to them.
Recover a test archive after simulated loss of a primary copy, then compare integrity manifests.
Migration and provider exit
Preserve exportable formats, metadata and custody records. Specify transfer rights, costs and trigger events if a provider or Death X closes. Select a successor process before claiming long-term custody.
Transfer a complete test package to another custodian and demonstrate usable access.
Funding and member rights
Separate trust assets, permitted fees, company income and delivery liabilities. Model cost growth, weak returns, cancellations and provider failure. Obtain jurisdiction-specific advice and a documented trustee arrangement.
Review contracts and an adverse-scenario funding model before accepting any member payment.
Living material
If viable cells are included, define their intended use, quality tests, maintenance, authorized research, disposal and transfer. Neural models need a separate oversight and consent decision.
Qualified providers demonstrate the specified post-storage properties; no continuity claim is inferred.