H33 Custody › No Recovery Keys › Recovery Key Alternative
Identity Custody · No Recovery Keys
Recovery keys were always a stopgap.
Recovery keys exist because identity systems didn't have a better answer to 'what if you forget your password?' H33 Custody has a better answer: bind identity to who you are, and bind recovery to who you trust.
Why recovery keys keep failing
They're a backup credential the user is expected to secure for the life of the account. That's a custody responsibility most users aren't equipped to discharge — and the systems that demand it know it. The result is predictable: users either lose the recovery key (and lose the account) or store it somewhere accessible (and create a security hole).
The recovery model H33 uses instead
Identity is bound to biometric verification — verified by post-quantum primitives without the biometric leaving the device. Recovery is bound to designated beneficiaries who can verify themselves through a multi-party process. Neither model requires you to store a separate artifact.
What this changes day to day
You stop worrying about the recovery key. You stop needing the recovery key. You stop having to test whether the recovery key still works after a year of sitting in a drawer. The recovery path is bound to who you are and who you trust — and it's verifiable at any point in time.
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