SELF-SOVEREIGN DIGITAL HERITAGE SYSTEMS: EXTENDING THE TUHOLUKOV–LYUSHENKO FRAMEWORK FOR DIGITAL ASSET INHERITANCE IN WEB3 ECOSYSTEMS

Abstract

The article examines digital asset inheritance in Web3 ecosystems, where the economic value of cryptocurrencies, NFTs, tokenised assets, cloud-stored intellectual property and high-value platform accounts is not supported by sufficiently reliable legal and technical mechanisms for intergenerational transfer. The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that traditional inheritance law is oriented mainly toward tangible objects or documented property rights, whereas blockchain-native assets depend on private keys, platform accounts are restricted by terms of service, and the cross-border nature of digital portfolios complicates the determination of applicable law. The purpose of the study is to develop an integrated conceptual model of the Self-Sovereign Digital Heritage System (SSDHS), combining self-sovereign identity, decentralised identifiers, verifiable credentials, digital safes, smart-contract execution of inheritance conditions and regulatory compliance. The methodological basis includes comparative legal analysis, system analysis, functional modelling, conceptual design and regulatory impact assessment. The article substantiates a six-layer SSDHS architecture consisting of the identity layer, digital asset inventory layer, secure storage layer, blockchain layer, inheritance execution layer and legal compliance layer. It is shown that SSI addresses the problem of cryptographic heir authentication, whereas the digital safe ensures secure preservation of private keys, inheritance instructions, DID material and the digital testament. A comparative analysis of the regulatory frameworks of the United States, the European Union and Ukraine is conducted, including fiduciary access to digital assets, electronic wills, digital identity, crypto-asset markets, personal data protection, virtual assets and electronic identification. The study substantiates that SSDHS can serve as a legal-technological reference model for reducing the risk of digital asset loss caused by inaccessible private keys, improving heir identification reliability, reducing dependence on centralised intermediaries and preparing future legislative solutions for digital heritage.