I'd like to propose an enhancement to the current Emergency Contacts feature, specifically for situations where the account owner becomes incapacitated or passes away.

I think there is an opportunity to make it more flexible by allowing information to be securely shared with people who do not have a Proton account, while also giving them more direct access to the information they need.

This design is in a way similar to what Google does:

I can configure a period of inactivity after which an email is automatically released to one or more designated recipients.

The message would be encrypted/password protected, with the password being something I can provide to my loved ones in advance.

The inactivity period could be configurable, for example 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, etc.

Before the message is released, Proton could periodically notify me and give me the opportunity to confirm that I am still active and cancel/reset the countdown.

Recipients would not need to have a Proton account.

Ideally, the recipient would receive a simple, secure way to access the information without having to create a Proton account or understand Proton's encryption system.

Why I think this would be useful

I currently keep access to my important accounts and digital assets in a password manager. In the event of my death, my family may not know where to find this information or how to access it even if they get access to my Proton account (using the current feature). Moreover this message could also contain other information that I would want my family to have access to, such as instructions regarding digital assets, important contacts, personal wishes, or where physical documents are stored.

The important part is that the information is prepared while I am alive, but only becomes available if I stop confirming that I am still active.