An individual can maintain self-custody over their elementary constructs through three key avenues: biological, digital, and relational self-custody. Each method provides unique pathways for securing and managing assets, allowing individuals to choose the approach that best fits their needs for security and convenience.

Biological Self-Custody involves leveraging the individual’s unique biological markers—such as fingerprints, iris scans, or face maps—as methods of authentication. In this model, the individual uses hardware wallets or devices that integrate biometric data directly to verify ownership and access. This creates a highly personal and secure form of custody, where access to assets is tied to the individual’s biological identity. Alternatively, the individual may use a third-party service that verifies their biometrics and provides a corresponding digital signature. This third party may also hold a private key as part of a multi-signature arrangement. In this setup, the individual provides their biometric information via a smartphone, and the third party verifies it before submitting the necessary digital signature on-chain using the private key.

Digital Self-Custody focuses on securing the individual’s private key through a hardware wallet, mobile device, or another medium. In this case, the individual holds complete control over their digital assets by directly managing their private key, ensuring that only they have access to it. This method provides flexibility in choosing the type of wallet, whether it be hardware-based for enhanced security or mobile-based for convenience in daily transactions.

Relational Self-Custody expands the scope by incorporating multiple wallets—hardware, software, and biometric—into a multi-signature setup. In this configuration, access and control over assets require signatures from more than one of the individual’s wallets, creating a layered security model. By spreading custody across multiple devices and forms of authentication, the individual ensures a more resilient and secure system, minimizing the risks associated with relying on a single point of failure.

These options, whether used individually or in combination, allow for flexible and robust self-custody tailored to the individual’s specific needs for security and access. Each method enhances the individual’s ability to safeguard their assets, providing a solid foundation for personal autonomy and control.