Deceased people.

Inherit does not accept a new upload for a person who has died. We do not analyze that person’s genome.

This policy covers four types of existing record:

• an account holder’s own data;
• data about another adult who later dies;
• an embryo record after a genetic parent dies; and
• a future-person record.

More than one person may hold rights in a record. We check each person’s rights before we act.

A death does not open an account or record. It stays closed while we review a request. We do not disclose it based only on a family link, inheritance claim, or request from an employer or insurer.

Investigators must use the process in our separate law-enforcement policy. That policy still applies after death.

Email legal@inherit.bio with all three items below. We charge no fee.

1. A death certificate. Send a clear copy from the civil authority that recorded the death.
2. Proof that you may act. This may be a court’s letters testamentary, letters of administration, or an equal document in your area. A small-estate affidavit may qualify only where local law accepts it.
3. Details that identify the record. Include the account email if you know it. For other records, give the minimum details needed to locate the record.

A human reviewer checks the death, the documents, and the representative’s authority. We may ask for more proof. We do not confirm that a record exists until the first two checks pass.

The deceased person’s recorded choice comes first. A representative cannot replace it. For example, a request to delete bars an estate export. A request for no disclosure also bars an export.

If no choice is on file, an authorized representative may ask for deletion or a permitted export. Before any disclosure, we give 30 days’ notice through each available contact channel tied to the record. No data leaves Inherit during that period.

We use the notice period to check for a conflict, a later recorded choice, or another person’s rights. A conflict stops disclosure and returns the request to human review.

We never give a representative a genome in a form that shows a living relative’s genotype unless that relative consents. We remove the protected material. If we cannot separate it safely, we refuse the export.

Estate authority does not replace the rights of a living adult subject or a future person. The Future Person Charter continues to govern future-person records.

• Deletion. We delete only the records that the verified request may control. Account deletion uses its fixed seven-day notice and purge process. Rights held by another living person may require us to preserve or transfer that person’s record instead.
• Permitted export. After the 30-day notice, we give the verified representative only the approved parts. The export is free. It excludes any record or genotype protected by another person’s rights.
• No request. If no representative comes forward, the record stays closed. Its normal retention and deletion rules still apply.

Record whether you prefer deletion or a permitted estate export. Keep that choice with your will or emergency account details. You can also export your data for free or request account deletion in Settings while you are alive.