RE: Fulfilling an enheritance with blockchain technology.
There are a couple of different aspects in "writing a will on a blockchain".
Your will: Normally this is some kind of paper you write, stating your will who should inherit what, right?
So this could be a smart-contract on Ethereum or other smart contract able chains.
One issue with smart contracts (at least at the moment) is, you actually cannot change them...as they are on the chain and that means distributed to 1,000s of nodes, a change is not possible.
So - if you make up your mind about a person in your will (or want to add someone) or any other aspect (donating your house, or car or whatever) - you need to have a solution to clearly cancel that first smart contract and add a new one...
So while it is possible, you would have to be careful with it.Money: If you are "just" referring to whom to pass on your money - yes, then you probably just need to ensure, those you have chosen get your private keys - but how seems really complicated.
In contrast to our banks, no one would e.g. be able to check if your lawyer, whom you handed your keys, will give them to those you specified. He could just use them himself...
And as the private key is nothing you want to place on any network, I (for now) see no solution using a net driven service/solution....as it would be a great risk placing it somewhere on the net.
But I like the idea - not sure, how to do it, but yes - it is an "easy" contract (as it is "just" your will and not a 2nd party involved).
But thinking of it - how would a contract know for sure, you are dead?
There would have to be some chain based institution verifying that, no?
Thanks for the mind-game!
oh wow yeah that is kind of scary I guess it cant tell if you are dead.
Well - its something to solve ;-)
You could use a smart watch (if it looses your heart beat it contacts a person and that person confirms your death to the watch, that then triggers the smart contract)...
Or our governments could issue a key for each citizen and some kind of multi layer witness-confirmation scheme could be implemented that at the end triggers the smart contract.
I mean, its what is being done now, right? So who ever issues the death certificate today could also have a key to contact "last will smart contracts" and inform them about the death...
Just depends on how "Libertarian" and "Tech-loving" you are - but it could be solved ... using a mix of today's solutions and a chain ;-)
That's really interesting to me I have no kids right now but I do have a niece and a brother would be cool to leave them some stuff I find value in. I doubt my parents will outlive me otherwise I would let them receive my stuff.