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Manage Recipients

Overview: After adding recipients to your vault, you can modify their permissions, organize them into groups, verify their access status, and remove them if needed. This guide covers all recipient management tasks.

View All Recipients​

From Vault Dashboard​

  1. Navigate to Vaults
  2. Click on the vault name
  3. Click Recipients tab
  4. View complete recipient list

Recipient Information Displayed:

  • Name and email address
  • Access status (Pending Verification, Verified, Access Granted)
  • Date added
  • Permission level (if applicable)
  • Last activity (when they accessed vault)

Edit Recipient Permissions​

Change Access Level​

Some vault configurations allow different permission levels for recipients:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click ⋮ (three dots) next to recipient name
  3. Select Edit Permissions
  4. Choose new permission level:
    • Full Access: Can view all documents
    • Limited Access: Can view only specific documents
    • View Only: Can see vault contents but not download
  5. Click Save Changes

Note: Permission levels are available on Business and Enterprise plans. Free and Professional plans grant all recipients full access.

Modify Document Access (Enterprise)​

Enterprise plans allow granular control over which documents each recipient can access:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click recipient name
  3. Go to Document Access tab
  4. Check/uncheck documents this recipient should access
  5. Click Save Changes

Use Cases:

  • Executor gets financial documents only
  • Children get personal letters only
  • Attorney gets legal documents only

Verify Recipient Identity​

Why Verify Recipients?​

Before vault releases, you want confidence that recipients are who they claim to be. Torvus Security supports several verification methods.

Email Verification (Automatic)​

How It Works:

  1. When you add a recipient, they receive a verification email
  2. They must click the link to verify their email address
  3. Once verified, their status changes to "Verified"

Check Verification Status:

  • Go to Vault → Recipients
  • Look for green checkmark ✅ next to email address
  • Red ⚠️ means email not yet verified

Resend Verification Email:

  1. Click ⋮ next to unverified recipient
  2. Select Resend Verification Email
  3. Recipient receives new verification link

Identity Verification (Enterprise)​

Enterprise customers can require government ID verification:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click recipient name
  3. Enable Require ID Verification
  4. Recipient receives email with verification instructions
  5. They upload photo of government ID (driver's license, passport)
  6. Torvus Security staff verify identity (1-3 business days)
  7. Once verified, recipient can access vault when released

Accepted Documents:

  • Driver's license
  • Passport
  • National ID card
  • Government-issued photo ID

Organize Recipients​

Create Recipient Groups (Business/Enterprise)​

Group recipients by relationship, access level, or purpose for easier management:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click Create Group
  3. Enter group name (e.g., "Family", "Executors", "Trusted Friends")
  4. Select recipients to include
  5. Click Create Group

Benefits of Groups:

  • Assign permissions to entire group at once
  • Send group messages/updates
  • View group access statistics
  • Easier to manage large recipient lists

Add Tags to Recipients (Enterprise)​

Tag recipients for flexible categorization:

  1. Click recipient name
  2. Go to Tags section
  3. Add tags (e.g., "Priority", "Family-Immediate", "Legal")
  4. Filter recipient list by tag

Remove Recipients​

When to Remove​

  • Relationship changed (divorce, estrangement)
  • Recipient no longer needs access
  • Added recipient by mistake
  • Recipient requested removal

How to Remove​

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click ⋮ next to recipient name
  3. Select Remove Recipient
  4. Confirm removal

What Happens:

  • Recipient immediately loses access (if vault already released)
  • Recipient no longer receives notifications
  • Removal is logged in audit trail
  • You can always re-add them later

Important: If vault has already released, removing a recipient does NOT revoke documents they've already downloaded. Use with caution after release.

Recipient Notifications​

Notification Types​

Recipients receive emails for these events:

EventNotificationFrequency
Added to Vault"You've been added as recipient"Immediately
Vault Released"Vault has been released - access now"Immediately
Policy Change"Vault policy updated" (if you enable)When changed
Access Expiring"Your access expires in 7 days"7 days before
Document Added"New document added to vault"Immediately or digest

Configure Notifications​

Control what recipients are notified about:

  1. Go to Vault → Settings → Notifications
  2. Toggle notifications on/off:
    • ☑️ Notify when added to vault
    • ☑️ Notify when vault releases
    • ☐ Notify when policy changes
    • ☐ Notify when documents added
  3. Click Save Changes

Best Practice: Enable critical notifications (added, released) but disable non-essential updates to avoid recipient fatigue.

Recipient Access Logs​

View Access History​

See when and how recipients accessed your vault:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click recipient name
  3. Go to Access Log tab

Log Information:

  • Date and time of access
  • IP address and location
  • Device used (desktop, mobile, browser)
  • Actions taken (viewed document, downloaded file)
  • Duration of session

Use Cases​

  • Security Audit: Verify no unauthorized access
  • Compliance: Demonstrate proper access controls (legal vaults)
  • Peace of Mind: Confirm recipients received access as expected

Recipient Communication​

Send Message to Recipients​

Communicate with recipients about vault contents or expectations:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click Send Message
  3. Select recipients (or choose "All Recipients")
  4. Enter subject and message
  5. Click Send

When to Use:

  • Explain vault contents and purpose
  • Provide context for documents
  • Share access instructions
  • Update recipients on policy changes

Example Messages:

Digital Legacy Vault:

Subject: Important Documents for You

I've added you as a recipient to my digital legacy vault. This vault contains important documents including financial info, insurance policies, and personal messages. It will only release if I'm inactive for 30 days, so you should only receive this if something happens to me.

The documents are organized by category. Please read the "README - Start Here" file first.

Journalist Vault:

Subject: Evidence Package Access

You have been added as a recipient to my journalism vault for the [Investigation Name] story. This vault will release manually when the investigation is complete and ready for publication.

All evidence is authenticated and sourced. See the timeline document for chronology.

Recipient Groups and Staged Release (Enterprise)​

Create Staged Release​

Enterprise plans support phased recipient access:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Enable Staged Release
  3. Create recipient groups:
    • Tier 1: Immediate access (e.g., spouse)
    • Tier 2: 7-day delay (e.g., children)
    • Tier 3: 30-day delay (e.g., extended family)
  4. Assign time delays to each group
  5. Save configuration

How It Works:

  • Vault releases (via policy trigger)
  • Tier 1 recipients get immediate access
  • Tier 2 recipients wait 7 days, then get access
  • Tier 3 recipients wait 30 days, then get access

Use Cases:

  • Ensure closest family gets first access
  • Give executor time to prepare before wide release
  • Staged disclosure of sensitive information

Recipient Security Best Practices​

Verify Email Addresses​

  • Double-check email addresses when adding recipients
  • Use primary email, not temporary/work addresses
  • Confirm recipients can receive emails from @torvussecurity.com

Set Appropriate Permissions​

  • Grant minimum necessary access (principle of least privilege)
  • Use document-level permissions for sensitive content
  • Review permissions quarterly

Maintain Updated Contact Info​

  • Ask recipients to update email if it changes
  • Maintain backup contact methods (phone, secondary email)
  • Remove recipients who are no longer reachable

Communicate Expectations​

  • Tell recipients they've been added to your vault
  • Explain what to expect and when
  • Provide context for vault contents

Review Regularly​

  • Quarterly: Review recipient list for accuracy
  • Annually: Verify recipients still appropriate
  • After major life events: Update as needed

Recipient Limits​

PlanMax Recipients per VaultRecipient GroupsStaged Release
Free3 recipients❌❌
Professional10 recipients❌❌
Business50 recipients✅ 5 groups❌
EnterpriseUnlimited✅ Unlimited✅

Need More Recipients?: Upgrade your plan or contact support for custom limits.

Troubleshooting​

Recipient Didn't Receive Verification Email​

Solutions:

  1. Check recipient's spam/junk folder
  2. Verify email address is correct (look for typos)
  3. Resend verification email
  4. Add noreply@torvussecurity.com to recipient's contacts
  5. Try alternative email address

Recipient Can't Access Vault (After Release)​

Checklist:

  • ✅ Vault has actually released (check vault status)
  • ✅ Recipient email verified
  • ✅ Recipient clicked access link in email
  • ✅ Recipient's browser supports secure connections
  • ✅ No firewall/VPN blocking access

Still Having Issues?: Contact support with vault ID and recipient email.

Recipient Removed by Accident​

Solution:

  1. Go to Vault → Recipients
  2. Click Add Recipient
  3. Re-add recipient with same email
  4. Previous verification and settings are restored

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can recipients see other recipients?​

No. Recipients cannot see who else has access to the vault. Only the vault owner can view the full recipient list.

Can I limit how long recipients have access?​

Yes (Business/Enterprise). Set access expiration dates per recipient. Access automatically revokes after expiration.

Can recipients forward or share vault contents?​

Once recipients have access, they can download documents. While Torvus Security applies watermarks and tracking, you cannot prevent recipients from sharing files. Only add recipients you trust.

What happens to recipients if I delete my account?​

If you delete your account, all vaults and recipient access are permanently deleted. Warn recipients first or transfer vault ownership.

Can a recipient decline being added to a vault?​

Yes. Recipients can opt out by clicking "Remove Me" in notification emails or contacting support.

Last Updated: October 8, 2025