How you'd know it's working
Four separate questions, kept deliberately separate so none of them get blurred into a false sense of certainty:
| Question | In plain terms | Possible answers |
|---|---|---|
| Applicability | Does this even apply to me? | Applicable · Not applicable · Undetermined |
| Evidence | Do I actually have proof I did it? | Sufficient · Partially sufficient · Insufficient · Not reviewed |
| Finding | Is this one thing actually in place? | Satisfied · Partially satisfied · Not satisfied · Inconclusive |
| Result | What does the overall picture look like? | A description — counts, coverage, trend — never a score |
Ways to assess
Four methods
Self-Assessment
You check it yourself.
Guided Assessment
Someone helps you — a family member, an advisor — but you stay in control.
Independent Assessment
Someone sufficiently independent reviews it for a defined scope and period.
Hybrid
Two or more of the above, combined, with each method's role kept explicit.
AI can help draft, explain, or organize an assessment — but it never decides scope, accepts evidence, issues a final finding, or approves a claim. That stays a human decision.
The claims guard
What DEFEND will never say about you
A responsible statement about your digital life names the exact thing checked, when, and how — and says only what the evidence actually supports.
Permitted
- Exact counts and what they're measured against
- Which items were checked, and which weren't
- A finding for one specific, declared item
- A described trend over time — more secure than last month, not "80% secure"
- The exact method used, and how independent it was
Never claimed
- An overall personal score or grade
- A certification or "DEFEND certified" claim
- A conformance or compliance statement
- A maturity level or ranking
- A badge, endorsement, or guarantee
- An automatic readiness decision