Principles
What we stand for.
Our rule is simple: every product we make has to help people. These principles say what that means in practice, and what we promise because of it.
Calm We build calm, not fear.
Preparing for death is hard work, and tone matters. We do not use fear tactics, countdown clocks or urgency to sell. We use honest language about what happens, when and why.
In practice
- No fear tactics, countdown clocks or made-up urgency.
- If a button is red, it means something is genuinely at risk, not just important.
- We do not trick people into decisions.
True We say true things.
We do not invent company facts, testimonials or social proof. We do not promise features we have not built, and we do not hide behind jargon.
In practice
- We say plainly what our products can do, what they cannot do, and what we are working on.
- We do not invent team size, user counts or awards.
- When we make a mistake, we admit it and fix it.
Private What you trust us with belongs to you.
Your secrets are yours. Each person you name sees only what you chose for them, and we collect only what a feature needs.
In practice
- Each person you name sees only what you chose for them.
- We do not sell your data to advertisers, data brokers or anyone else.
- We do not show ads.
Careful We are careful because people depend on it.
Someone may use what we make on the worst day of their life, trusting us completely. We do not rush. We test what we make, and we publish how the encryption works and what it protects.
In practice
- We test what we make before we ship it.
- We publish how the encryption works and what it protects.
- We would rather ship a feature six months late than ship it broken.
Human We treat people like people.
Every screen, every email, every sentence is written as if one kind person made it for another. We do not use dark patterns, we do not gamify loss, and we do not ask for more than we need.
In practice
- Plain words and large type, on pages that work at any age, on any screen.
- We design to WCAG 2.1 level AA, the international accessibility guidelines, in more than one language.
- When something is sad, we let it be sad instead of making it cheerful.
Our commitments
The promises that follow
Principles are easy to write. These are the promises that follow from them.
No ads
There is no advertising in anything we make, and there never will be.
No selling data
We do not sell, rent or trade what people store with us, or what we know about them.
No dark patterns
No tricks to keep you subscribed, no guilt, no hidden buttons. Leaving is as easy as joining.
The bereaved are never sold to
People who receive what someone left them are never marketed to. We will never sell the news of a death to anyone.
Export at any time
You can download a copy of what you stored with us, whenever you want.
If we ever close
You get at least 12 months' notice and a full copy of your data.
When we say no
What we turn down
We say no to these, even when yes would be easier or more profitable.
- Features that trick people or hide the truth.
- Making money in ways that depend on your data.
- Growth at the cost of care.
- Partnerships that do not fit our principles.
- Deadlines that cost quality.
- Anything that puts profit before people.
Trust
What we promise in every product, and how to report a security problem.