Trusted Party Access: Permissions & Controls

Many worry about what happens to their digital assets and online accounts if they're unable to manage them. Trusted party access offers a proactive way to delegate responsibilities while maintaining full control and privacy, turning concern into clarity and security.

Why Trusted Access Exists: The Roots of Preparedness

For many Australians, the question of what happens to their digital legacy if something unexpected occurs is a real and pressing concern. In today’s world, our lives are increasingly lived online—through emails, social media, cloud storage, and countless digital accounts. This shift has made digital asset management a vital part of modern estate planning. Yet, the thought of delegating access to these assets often raises fears about privacy, loss of control, and uncertainty over who can step in if needed.

Common worries include:

“What happens if something happens to me?”
“Who can step in if I can’t manage my digital affairs?”
“How do I give someone access without giving up ownership or privacy?”

These questions are not just hypothetical. Consider the experience of a friend who, after a family member’s sudden passing, faced weeks of confusion and frustration trying to access important online accounts. Without clear permission control or a designated trusted party, vital information was locked away, causing unnecessary stress during an already difficult time. This scenario is all too common—over 80% of people report that estate planning is stressful when digital assets are not clearly managed.

Trusted party access exists to address these concerns head-on. Rather than being about surrendering control, it is a proactive step towards preparedness. By appointing a trusted person through a platform like Evaheld, users can ensure that someone they choose can help manage their digital legacy if they become unable to do so themselves. This is not about giving up authority—it is about maintaining future authority and ensuring that your wishes are respected, no matter what happens.

The concept of digital legacy now sits at the heart of modern estate planning. It covers a wide range of online information and assets, including:

Emails and personal correspondence
Social media profiles and posts
Photos, videos, and cloud-stored memories
Online banking and subscription services
Business documents and intellectual property

Without a clear plan for access management, families can be left in the dark, facing delays, disputes, or even permanent loss of treasured digital memories. Early planning, with trusted party access in place, reduces confusion and stress for loved ones. It ensures that your digital legacy is handled according to your wishes, not left to chance or the default settings of online platforms.

Importantly, control always remains with the user. Appointing a trusted party does not mean handing over the keys to your digital life. Instead, it allows you to:

Choose exactly who can access what, and when
Set clear permissions that can be changed or revoked at any time
Stage or limit access according to your comfort and needs

This approach to permission control is about clarity, not control. It empowers users to plan ahead with confidence, knowing that nothing will happen without their explicit intent. Trusted party access is a responsible and thoughtful choice—one that brings peace of mind, protects privacy, and ensures that your digital legacy is secure, no matter what the future holds.

Meet your Legacy Assistant — Charli Evaheld is here to guide you through your free Evaheld Legacy Vault so you can create, share, and preserve everything that matters — from personal stories and care wishes to legal and financial documents — all in one secure place, for life.

Demystifying the Trusted Party: Roles and Realities

When it comes to trusted party access in managing your digital assets, clarity and control are essential. Many people worry about what will happen to their important information if something unexpected occurs. The idea of giving someone else access to your digital legacy can feel daunting, but with the right approach, it’s about empowerment—not loss of control.

What Is a Trusted Party?

A trusted party is a person you nominate to act on your behalf within a digital legacy platform like Evaheld. This could be a family member, close friend, or professional advisor. Importantly, appointing a trusted party does not mean they automatically gain access to your digital vault or assets. Instead, you decide exactly what they can see or do, and when. You remain the owner at all times, and your privacy is always preserved.

Not automatic: A trusted party cannot simply log in and view your information.
Not an executor or trustee by default: Their role is defined by your instructions, not by legal status.
Consent-based: Access is only granted with your explicit permission.

This approach is supported by legal frameworks such as RUFADAA (Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act), which ensures fiduciaries can only access digital assets with user consent. Major service providers, like Apple, now offer Legacy Contact options that require proof and verification before access is given, further protecting your wishes.

Permission Control: You Decide the Access

With Evaheld’s permission control and access management features, you can tailor the level of access your trusted party receives. Here’s how it works:

Notification-only: Your trusted party can notify Evaheld of a significant event, such as your passing, without accessing any content.
Verification access: They may confirm details or contacts, but cannot view personal data.
Limited room access: You might allow them to see only certain “Rooms” or categories, like important documents or select emails.
Full access: This is only possible if you explicitly grant it, and even then, you can set conditions or time limits.

All permissions are set by you and can be changed, expanded, or revoked at any time. This flexibility ensures your future authority is always respected. Nothing happens without your instruction, and your trusted party cannot override your explicit wishes.

Real-World Scenario: Selective Access in Action

Consider this relatable example: You want to appoint a trusted friend to help manage your digital legacy, but you’re not comfortable giving them access to everything. With Evaheld, you can allow them to view only specific email accounts or documents, while keeping other areas private. This means you never have to share passwords informally—a practice that’s discouraged and often against the terms of service for most platforms. Instead, you use secure, consent-based access management to protect both your privacy and your intentions.

Ownership and Privacy Always Remain Yours

Appointing a trusted party is not about handing over control. You remain the sole owner of your digital assets, and your privacy is safeguarded at every step. Trusted party access is voluntary, selective, and always based on your consent. This approach helps avoid confusion, prevents conflict, and ensures your wishes are followed—without ever compromising your autonomy.

Tailoring Access Levels: Customising Trusted Party Permissions

One of the most reassuring aspects of trusted party access in Evaheld is the ability to customise exactly what a nominated person can do, and when. This access control means you never have to hand over more authority than you’re comfortable with. Instead, you can fine-tune permission control to suit your needs, your relationships, and your peace of mind—both now and in the future.

Understanding the Tiers of Trusted Party Access

Evaheld offers several distinct levels of access, each designed to balance privacy with preparedness. These tiers ensure your digital assets remain protected, while still allowing for essential support when needed:

Notification-only access: This is the most limited form of access. A trusted party can alert Evaheld in the event of your passing or incapacity, but they cannot view or manage any content in your vault. This is ideal if you simply want someone to act as a notifier, without granting them any insight into your private information.
Verification access: At this level, a trusted party can confirm specific details or contacts—such as verifying your identity or confirming the status of another nominated person. They cannot see your vault contents, but can help validate information when required.
Limited room access: Here, you can grant access to specific sections or “Rooms” within your vault. For example, you might allow a trusted party to view only your medical directives or a particular set of documents, while keeping everything else private. This is perfect for staged sharing or when different people need access to different information.
Full access: This is the broadest level, where a trusted party can view and manage all contents of your vault. Importantly, this is only granted with your explicit, time-activated consent—such as after a specific event or date. You remain in control of when, and if, this access is activated.

Staging, Expanding, and Restricting Permissions Over Time

One of the strengths of Evaheld’s access management is the ability to adapt permissions as your circumstances or relationships change. You can:

Stage access: Start with notification-only, then move to verification or limited room access as trust grows.
Expand permissions: If your trusted party proves reliable, you can grant broader access, such as additional rooms or eventual full access.
Restrict or revoke access: If your situation changes, you can instantly reduce permissions or remove a trusted party altogether. This flexibility ensures your privacy and intent are always protected.

Time-Based and Conditional Access

Evaheld allows you to set time-based or conditional permissions. For example, you might specify that full access is only granted after a certain date, or if a particular event is verified. This gives you fine control, ensuring that your digital assets are only accessible when you intend.

Hypothetical Example: Gradual Trust, Incremental Access

Consider Sarah, who wants her sister to help manage her affairs if needed. Initially, Sarah grants her sister notification-only access. Over time, as their conversations deepen, Sarah upgrades her sister’s permissions to limited room access for her medical documents. Eventually, confident in her sister’s reliability, Sarah sets up full access to activate only if she becomes incapacitated, with multi-factor authentication required for added security. At every stage, Sarah can adjust or revoke access instantly, maintaining ultimate control.

Security Measures: Multi-Factor Authentication and Password Protection

To further protect your privacy, Evaheld employs multi-factor authentication and robust password protection. These security measures ensure that even if permissions are granted, only the right person can access your vault. This reduces the risk of unauthorised access and gives you confidence that your sensitive information remains secure.

With these layered options, trusted party access in Evaheld is always under your control, adapting as your needs and relationships evolve.

Real-Life Benefits: How Trusted Access Makes a Difference

When it comes to estate planning and managing your digital legacy, the concept of trusted party access is more than just a technical feature—it’s a practical safeguard for you and your loved ones. By appointing a trusted individual and using clear permission control, you ensure your wishes are respected, your privacy is protected, and your family is supported during challenging times. Here’s how trusted access delivers real, tangible benefits in everyday life.

Avoids Confusion Among Family Members

One of the most common issues families face after a loved one passes is uncertainty about digital assets. Without clear access management protocols, relatives can be left guessing about passwords, account locations, or even the existence of certain online profiles. By nominating a trusted individual and specifying their permissions in advance, you remove ambiguity. This clarity helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures everyone knows who is responsible for what, reducing the risk of family disputes. In fact, families with a planned digital legacy report up to 40% less conflict over digital assets.

Ensures Your Final Wishes Are Followed

With trusted party access, you can be confident that your digital estate will be managed exactly as you intend. Whether it’s closing social media accounts, transferring digital photos, or managing online subscriptions, your chosen trusted individual can act according to the permissions you’ve set. This level of control means your final wishes for your digital legacy are not only documented but also actionable, ensuring your intentions are honoured without compromise.

Reduces Emotional and Administrative Stress for Loved Ones

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is hard enough without the added burden of navigating complex digital accounts. By setting up clear permission control and designating a trusted party, you spare your family the emotional and administrative stress of trying to access or manage your online presence. This thoughtful planning means your loved ones can focus on what matters most—supporting each other—rather than wrestling with forgotten passwords or locked accounts.

Prevents Delays in Accessing or Managing Online Accounts

Delayed access to digital accounts can prolong estate settlements by weeks or even months, creating unnecessary hardship for families. With trusted party access, your nominated individual can act quickly and efficiently, ensuring timely management of your digital assets. This is particularly important for accounts tied to financial matters, ongoing subscriptions, or important communications, where prompt action can prevent complications and maintain consistency.

Protects Privacy and Specific Intentions

Privacy protection is a cornerstone of modern estate planning. By using access management tools like those offered by Evaheld, you maintain full control over what your trusted individual can see and do. Permissions can be as limited or as broad as you choose—whether it’s simply notifying Evaheld of your passing, verifying certain details, or accessing specific digital rooms. This granular control ensures your privacy is never compromised and your specific intentions for each asset are respected.

Clarity and Peace of Mind—Not Relinquishing Control

Perhaps most importantly, trusted party access is about providing clarity and peace of mind, not giving up authority. You remain in charge at every step: you choose the person, you set the permissions, and you decide when and how access is granted. This approach transforms digital legacy planning from a source of anxiety into a proactive, empowering process—one that protects your wishes, your privacy, and your family’s future well-being.

Maintaining Ownership: The User’s Absolute Control

At the heart of Evaheld’s trusted party access model is a simple but powerful principle: the user always retains absolute control and ownership. This is not just a technical feature—it’s a philosophy that guides every aspect of access management and permission control. Whether you’re planning ahead or updating your digital legacy, you remain the sole authority over who can access your information, what they can see, and when they can act.

User-Driven Selection of Trusted Individuals

Every user personally selects their trusted individual. This is never an automated or default process. You choose someone you know and trust—whether that’s a family member, friend, or professional advisor. No one is assigned access without your explicit instruction. This ensures that your digital legacy remains in hands you’ve chosen yourself, reinforcing your sense of security and ownership.

Customising Permissions and Conditions

With Evaheld, permission control is highly flexible. Users determine the exact level of access their trusted party receives. You can:

Grant notification-only access (e.g., to notify Evaheld of a significant event)
Allow verification access for confirming details or contacts
Provide limited access to specific Rooms or documents
Authorise full access—but only if you choose to

This granular approach to access management means you never have to give up more privacy or authority than you’re comfortable with. Every permission is set by you, for your unique needs.

User-Defined Timing for Access Application

Timing is entirely user-defined. You decide when a trusted individual’s permissions become active. For example, you might set access to apply only after a certain event, or make it conditional on verification by Evaheld. This ensures that your wishes are respected not just in terms of who and what, but also when. Nothing is automatic or outside your control.

Dynamic, Flexible Access Control

Life changes, and so can your plans. Evaheld recognises this by allowing users to revoke or modify permissions at any time. If your relationship with a trusted individual changes, or if you simply want to update their level of access, you can do so instantly. In fact, data shows that users modify or revoke access permissions 25% of the time during estate planning updates. This flexibility is a cornerstone of true user ownership and privacy.

No Action Without User Instruction

Perhaps most importantly, no action occurs without your instruction. Trusted parties cannot override your wishes or gain access without your explicit consent. Every step in the process is user-initiated and user-approved. This provides a layer of reassurance that your digital legacy remains protected, and that your intentions are always the guiding force.

Regular Reviews for Continued Confidence

Evaheld encourages users to review their trusted party access settings regularly. As life circumstances evolve—whether through changes in relationships, assets, or wishes—keeping permissions up to date ensures your access management remains aligned with your current intentions. Regular reviews not only maintain security but also empower you to stay in control, building confidence in your planning.

Empowerment through choice, dynamic flexibility, and unwavering user ownership are the foundations of Evaheld’s approach. By putting you in charge of every aspect of permission control, Evaheld ensures that your privacy, intent, and authority are never compromised.

Peace of Mind Planning: Closing with Confidence

Trusted party access is not about giving up control—it’s about gaining peace of mind. In the same way a well-prepared GPS system guides you safely to your destination, setting up trusted party access in Evaheld ensures your digital legacy follows the path you’ve chosen, even if you’re not there to steer every turn. This approach to digital legacy and estate planning is designed to empower you, not pressure you, allowing you to move at your own pace and on your own terms.

When it comes to managing our digital lives, the idea of handing over the reins can feel daunting. But with Evaheld’s permission control and access management features, you always remain in the driver’s seat. Every decision—who you nominate, what they can see, and when they can act—is yours to make, review, and change at any time. This is not about surrendering privacy or authority; it’s about ensuring your wishes are understood and respected, no matter what the future holds.

Research consistently shows that advance planning leads to greater confidence and better outcomes for families. By setting up trusted party access now, you’re not just protecting your digital assets—you’re also reducing uncertainty and emotional stress for those you care about. Knowing that your digital estate is mapped out clearly, with future authority assigned only as you intend, brings a unique sense of calm. It means your loved ones won’t be left guessing or facing unnecessary delays at a difficult time.

Evaheld supports this kind of gradual, thoughtful planning. There’s no rush or urgency; you can review your options, adjust permissions, and update your choices as life changes. Whether you’re just starting to consider your digital legacy or you’re ready to formalise your plans, the platform is designed to give you clarity and confidence every step of the way. Trusted party access is a tool for proactive estate planning, not a source of pressure.

Think of trusted party access as a safety net for your digital affairs. Just as a GPS doesn’t take over your journey but ensures you don’t get lost, appointing a trusted party means your digital legacy will be handled with care and precision, according to your instructions. You remain the owner, the decision-maker, and the ultimate authority. Nothing happens without your clear direction, and you can always change course if you wish.

Ultimately, planning ahead with Evaheld is an act of empowerment. It’s about taking control of your digital legacy, protecting your privacy, and providing clarity for those who matter most. There’s no need to feel rushed or overwhelmed—trusted party access is there to support you, not to hurry you. As you consider your own digital estate planning, remember that peace of mind comes from knowing you’ve prepared, not from giving up control. When you’re ready, Evaheld is here to help you set up trusted access, ensuring your wishes are honoured and your legacy is secure.

In the end, the true value of trusted party access lies in the confidence it brings. By planning ahead, you free yourself from anxiety and give your family the gift of certainty. Your digital legacy is yours to shape—Evaheld simply provides the tools to make it happen on your terms.

Future-Proof Your Family’s Story with the Evaheld Legacy Vault

Imagine a single, permanent home for your life's most precious layers: the laughter in your stories, the wisdom in your wishes, and the clarity of your care plans. The Evaheld Legacy Vault is that home—a guaranteed sanctuary for your legacy, designed to outlive the digital noise and ensure your voice is heard for generations.

This is more than storage; it's the one account your family will thank you for creating.

Take control of what matters most — set up your free Evaheld Legacy Vault to keep your stories, care wishes, and essential documents safe, organised, and instantly shareable with loved ones and advisers, for life.

Get Your Vault Running in Minutes with Charli, Your AI Legacy Preservation Assistant

Stop feeling overwhelmed. Charli is your proactive guide who simplifies every step—from setting up your vault and inviting family members to sending smart content requests and helping you articulate your stories. She doesn't just help you write; she helps you build, ensuring your entire legacy is preserved efficiently and authentically.

Your All-in-One Legacy Solution

Preserve a Rich, Living History: Build a first-person narrative with video messages, audio recordings, legacy letters, and recipes—a digital heirloom where your wisdom and memories are kept safe and searchable.
Co-Create in Family Rooms: Spark conversations and gather memories together in shared, collaborative spaces. It’s a living scrapbook that grows with every contribution from your family.
Simplify Every Step with Charli, Your AI Legacy Preservation Assistant: From onboarding and inviting family to sending content requests and articulating your stories, Charli provides proactive guidance throughout your entire legacy-building journey—ensuring nothing is forgotten while keeping the process effortless.
Honour Your Care Wishes: Complete your legally valid Digital Advance Care Directive with our intuitive tool. Grant loved ones and clinicians instant, secure access, ending frantic document searches for good.
Grant Emergency Access in Seconds: Share or print your unique QR Emergency Access Card. A single scan gives first responders immediate access to your directives, enabling faster, better-aligned care when every second counts.
Safeguard Every Essential Document: Consolidate your will, power of attorney, superannuation details, and more in one bank-grade encrypted vault. Your family will always find what they need, securely.

How to Secure Your Legacy in Minutes

Start Your Free Vault: Claim your personal, secure space in under a minute. No cost, no commitment.
Add Your People & Open Rooms: Invite family to shared Rooms to begin co-creating your story and sending content requests.
Build Your Legacy: Use your built-in AI assistant to help capture memories and refine your messages. Upload documents and record your care wishes. Your voice, preserved forever.

Why Thousands Are Choosing Evaheld

By starting your free Evaheld Legacy Vault, you gain:

A Living Time Capsule — preserve your family’s identity, values, and care choices in one lasting digital home.
With Charli, Your AI Assistant, Preserving Your Story is Effortless
Ease & Organisation — everything important, easily shared and always up to date.
Peace of Mind for All Generations — loved ones know exactly what you wish, and where to find it.
Free to Begin, Forever to Keep — create your vault now and secure lifetime access

Watch our Cofounder's Story to learn why we’re so passionate about Legacy Preservation and Advance Care Planning

The Best 3 Resources to Get Started

Start Your Vault — It’s Free and Forever Yours

Building your Evaheld Legacy Vault takes minutes — and protects your stories, care plans, and family legacy for generations. Give your loved ones the greatest gift of all: peace of mind that never expires.

TL;DR: Trusted party access enables users to appoint a trusted individual with tailored permissions that protect privacy, maintain ownership, and ensure future authority without losing control.

Share this article

Trusted Party Access: Permissions, Control and Future Authority