Issued by the Digital Estate Planning Institute (DEPI)
February 2026
DEPI Position
The Digital Estate Planning Institute (DEPI) holds that digital estate continuity is fundamentally an identity governance problem, not merely a post-mortem or asset transfer concern.
In modern digital systems, identity functions as the primary control plane through which authority, access, and action are exercised. Yet existing legal, fiduciary, and institutional frameworks do not adequately govern identity across the human lifecycle, particularly in relation to delegation, incapacity, succession, and revocation.
DEPI’s position is that without standards-based lifecycle governance of digital identity, continuity failures will persist regardless of advances in law, technology, or platform design.
Core Assertions
DEPI asserts the following principles:
- Digital identity governs access, authority, and continuity
In digital environments, identity determines operational control. Ownership and legal authority are ineffective without alignment to identity systems. - Identity persists beyond legal and human lifecycle events
Digital identities routinely remain active through incapacity and after death, creating misalignment between legal status and technical control. - Delegation is essential to continuity
Secure, scoped, and auditable delegation of authority is a prerequisite for responsible digital continuity. Informal credential sharing is a failure mode, not a solution. - Incapacity is the primary continuity risk
Incapacity is more prevalent and more disruptive than death, yet is largely unrecognized by digital identity systems. Continuity frameworks that ignore incapacity are incomplete. - Succession and revocation must be governed, not improvised
Identity succession and revocation are rarely designed into digital systems and are often executed abruptly or not at all. This creates risk, harm, and ethical conflict. - Fragmented identity governance increases systemic risk
Platform-specific identity models produce inconsistent outcomes and undermine cross-system continuity. Without shared standards, fragmentation will intensify.
Ethical Dimension
Persistent digital identity raises ethical questions that cannot be resolved through technical enforcement or contractual terms alone.
Issues of dignity, consent, representation, and post-life agency demand governance frameworks that reflect human values across time. In the absence of standards, ethical authority defaults to platform design rather than individual intent or societal norms.
The Role of Standards
DEPI’s position is that standards are the only durable mechanism capable of governing digital identity across the human lifecycle.
Well-designed standards can:
- define lifecycle states and transitions
- support interoperable delegation and succession models
- align identity control with legal and fiduciary authority
- enable auditability and accountability
- embed ethical principles into identity systems
Standards do not replace identity technologies or legal systems. They provide the governance layer required for coordination and continuity.
DEPI’s Commitment
DEPI is committed to developing and stewarding technology-agnostic, platform-neutral standards that support responsible digital identity governance across the human lifecycle.
These standards are intended to assist:
- policymakers and regulators
- legal and fiduciary professionals
- identity and trust architects
- platform operators and institutions
DEPI does not advocate for specific technologies or implementations. Its role is to establish principled frameworks that enable ethical, durable continuity.
Relationship to DEPI White Paper #3
This position statement is informed by DEPI White Paper #3, Digital Identity, Delegation, and Continuity Across the Human Lifecycle, and supports the development of the DEPI Digital Estate Continuity Standard.
The Standard is maintained as a separate normative document and is intended for voluntary adoption across jurisdictions.
Closing Statement
Digital identity has become inseparable from human agency in the digital age.
Without standards that govern identity delegation, succession, and continuity across the human lifecycle, digital systems will continue to outpace the institutions responsible for trust, dignity, and continuity.
DEPI’s position is clear: identity must be governable across life, incapacity, and death for digital continuity to be achieved.
Status
Position Statement · February 2026
DEPI — Digital Estate Planning Institute 