FAQ

1. What Is Proof Of Life And What Does It Do?

Proof of Life is a household operating system. It brings your bills, subscriptions, documents, assets, and passwords into one encrypted platform that your family can manage together. Instead of juggling six separate apps for budgeting, cloud storage, password management, and spreadsheets, Proof of Life replaces them all with a single connected system.

2. How Do I Set Up My Account?

Sign up with your email, verify it, and set a password. From there you can start adding items immediately. The fastest way is Smart Import: drag and drop your bank statements, insurance policies, or utility bills and the system extracts key details automatically. You can also enter everything manually. Setup takes about 5 minutes.

3. What Is Smart Import?

Smart Import is an AI-powered setup tool. Upload your files (PDF, JPG, PNG, CSV, or XLSX) and the system classifies each document, extracts financial details, and files items into the correct Hub. It detects expenses like recurring bills and can identify assets inferred from payment patterns. You review everything before confirming. Edited values always override the AI extraction.

4. Is Proof Of Life Available On All Devices?

Yes. Proof of Life works on iOS, Android, and any web browser. We also offer browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge for instant password autofill. Your data syncs across all devices automatically.

5. Do I Need Technical Expertise To Use It?

Not at all. The interface is designed to be intuitive for all experience levels. Smart Import handles the heavy lifting of data entry. If you can drag and drop a file, you can set up your household.

6. Will Polinc Connect To My Bank?

No. Proof of Life never asks for your bank login credentials. Instead, use Smart Import to upload bank statements or utility bills. The system extracts the relevant details without ever accessing your banking systems directly. Your credentials stay with you.

1. What Can I Store In The Assets Hub?

2. How Does The Password Manager Work?

Store all your login credentials in the Assets Hub. Use the browser extension (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge) to autofill passwords on websites. Credentials are encrypted with AES-256 and never stored locally on your device. You can share specific passwords with family members through Asset Groups without revealing the actual password text.

3. What Are Asset Groups?

Asset Groups (also called Vaults) are secure containers for sharing specific items with family members. Create a group, add the items you want to share, and invite people. Members see only what is in that group. Nothing else. You can create multiple groups for different purposes, such as one for shared household accounts and another for personal documents only your spouse can access.

4. Can I Upload And Organize Documents?

Yes. Upload documents in any common format. You can attach files to any asset record or store them independently in the Document Wallet. Create folders to organize your files, and enable MFA protection on any folder for an extra layer of security. Smart Import can also extract data from uploaded documents automatically. All files are encrypted at rest and in transit.

5. Can I Export My Data?

Yes. Data Takeout lets you export your information at any time, even if your account is suspended. Choose which modules to export (personal details, assets, nominees, family, letters). Each module downloads as a separate encrypted ZIP file with its own password. This feature is always available, in compliance with GDPR.

1. What Does The Money Hub Track?

The Money Hub gives you a complete view of your household finances. It tracks recurring bills, subscriptions, utility payments, loans, and any other regular expense. Each bill appears on a visual calendar with color-coded category markers so you can see what is due at a glance.

2. How Do I Add Expenses?

Two ways. You can enter expenses manually with the name, category, amount, billing cycle, and due date. Or use Smart Import to upload bank statements or utility bills. The system detects recurring charges and creates expense entries automatically. You review and confirm everything before it is saved.

3. Can I Share Expenses With My Partner?

Yes. Create a shared Expense Group and add family members. You can share individual expenses, use Quick Share for one-off items, or Share by Category to share all expenses in a category at once. Shared members see the bills on their own Bill Calendar with a "Shared by" badge. Sharing is read-only. Only the owner can edit amounts or due dates.

4. Does Polinc Connect To Banks For Real-Time Transactions?

No. Proof of Life does not connect to banks or financial institutions. We do not ask for your banking credentials. Instead, Smart Import lets you upload statements and the system extracts your expenses from them. This gives you visibility into your household spending without giving any third party access to your accounts.

5. What Categories Can I Organize Expenses Into?

Expenses are organized by category such as utilities, insurance, subscriptions, loans, rent, tuition, and more. Each category has its own color on the Bill Calendar so you can quickly identify what type of bill is due. Smart Import suggests a category for each detected expense, and you can always change it.

1. How Does Family Sharing Work?

Sharing is opt-in and explicit. Nothing is shared automatically. You invite family members via email or Share Code. Then you create Asset Groups, add specific items, and choose who can see them. Members see shared items in a "Shared with Me" view. All shared access is read-only.

2. What Is A Nominee?

A nominee is someone you trust to receive access to designated items in an emergency. You can assign up to three tiers: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Active nominees are invited and aware they are nominated. Stealth nominees are not contacted or notified until an emergency protocol is triggered. You choose which items each nominee can access.

3. What Are Check-Ins And What Happens If I Miss One?

Check-ins are a periodic safety verification. By default, you receive a monthly prompt (via SMS) and respond with a one-time code. If you miss a check-in, you get reminder notifications. Only after multiple consecutive missed check-ins does the Nominee Protocol begin, contacting your designated nominees in tier order. You can resume check-ins at any time to pause the process. Frequency, time zone, and contact preferences are all configurable.

4. What Is Full Privacy Mode?

Full Privacy Mode lets you designate stealth nominees who do not know they have been nominated. They receive no notifications and have no awareness of your account until an emergency protocol is triggered and access is approved. This is designed for people who want to prepare a safety net without involving family members in advance.

5. What Are Letters?

Letters are personal messages (text, audio, or video) that you create for specific recipients. They are encrypted and stored securely. Letters are delivered only when an emergency protocol is triggered and access is approved. Until then, recipients have no knowledge that a letter exists. You can update or delete them at any time.

6. Can I Remove Someone I Have Shared With?

Yes. You can remove a member from any Asset Group at any time. Note that sharing is bidirectional: removing someone from your group also removes your access to any groups they have shared with you. Connecting with someone does not grant them automatic access to anything.

7. What Is A Share Code?

A Share Code is a unique code (like ABC-1234) that you can give to family members instead of sharing email addresses. They enter the code to connect with you on the platform. It is a privacy-first way to link accounts without exposing personal contact information.

1. What Plans Are Available?

2. What Happens If I Downgrade My Plan?

Your data is never deleted on a downgrade. If you exceed the limits of your new plan, excess items become read-only. You can still view them but cannot edit or add new items until you upgrade or remove items to stay within limits. Family members on your paid seats are retained by join date (oldest members kept first). Any suspended members can still log in and use Data Takeout.

3. How Do Seats Work?

Each plan includes a set number of seats. Invite family members and they are added to your subscription as paid seat members. If an invitee already has their own paid plan, no seat is consumed. They connect to your account as a Connected User and keep their own subscription. You can manage seats from your account settings.

4. Is There A Referral Program?

Yes. Generate up to 3 active referral codes from your account. When someone you refer subscribes to a paid plan, you earn rewards. Redeem as subscription credit (minimum $5, instant, no fee) or as a bank transfer (minimum $25, $1.50 fee, 2-3 business days).

5. Do I Need To Add A Nominee On The Free Plan?

Yes. Basic plan users are required to designate at least one nominee before adding content. This is a safety measure to ensure your information is recoverable in an emergency. Paid plans do not have this requirement, though we recommend setting up nominees early.

6. Is My Payment Information Secure?

Yes. All payments are processed through Stripe, which is PCI-DSS compliant. Proof of Life never stores or has access to your credit card details. Stripe handles the entire payment flow securely.

1. How Is My Data Encrypted?

All sensitive information is encrypted at rest and in transit using AES-256 encryption. Data segmentation means each category (passwords, documents, financial accounts) is stored in a separate encrypted database. No one at Proof of Life can read your data in plain text. Not the engineers, not the executives, not under any circumstances.

2. What Is Zero Trust And How Does Proof Of Life Use It?

Zero Trust is a security model that assumes every request could be a threat. Instead of trusting users because they are inside a network, every action requires authentication and verification. Proof of Life applies this to every API call, every login, and every data access request. Backend servers are only accessible via private endpoints within Microsoft Azure's secure virtual networks. External access is completely blocked.

3. Can I Add Extra Security To Sensitive Folders?

Yes. When you create a folder in the Document Wallet, you can enable MFA (multi-factor authentication) protection on it. When anyone tries to open that folder, a one-time passcode is sent to your mobile device. You enter the code to unlock the folder for that session. This adds a second layer of security on top of encryption for your most sensitive documents like identity records, legal papers, or financial statements.

4. What Compliance Standards Does Proof Of Life Follow?

Proof of Life meets SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR standards. We undergo regular security reviews and implement controls consistent with these frameworks. Our infrastructure runs on Microsoft Azure, which holds its own SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA certifications.

5. Does Proof Of Life Share My Information With Third Parties?

No. We do not sell or share user data with third-party marketers. All sensitive information is encrypted using AES-256 encryption. You have the right to access, modify, or delete your data under global privacy laws including GDPR.

6. Can I Delete My Account And All My Data?

Yes. You can request full data deletion at any time under GDPR regulations. Before deleting, you can use Data Takeout to export all your information as encrypted ZIP files. Once deletion is confirmed, all your data is permanently removed from our systems.

7. What Happens To My Data If I Become Unreachable?

If you stop responding to check-ins, the Nominee Protocol activates. Your designated nominees are contacted in the order you specified. They go through an identity verification process before any access is granted. Only the specific items you designated for each nominee are made available. Your full vault is never exposed to anyone.

8. Is My Data Backed Up?

Yes. We use distributed storage across geographically separated data centers with regular backups to ensure data integrity. Backups are encrypted with the same AES-256 standard as live data.