Man, I thought you died or something.
I realized something:I hadnt prepared for my digital death.
Even worse, my online friends wouldnt know what happened to me.
Being on the other side of this exchange isnt easy.
Have you ever stumbled upon the social media profile of a friend who has seemingly disappeared?
Theres no farewell post, no activity on his wall, and no replies to your messages.
An infographic that depicts various online platforms, and what happens to those accounts if the user dies.
Youre left questioning what happened did they just move on with their life, or was it something else?
Well, there certainly is.
No one likes the topic of death.
An infographic that depicts various online platforms, and what happens to those accounts if the user dies.
Facebook alone had30 million dead usersby 2012.
This number is bound to increase more rapidly in the coming years.
Yet, not many prepare for digital death.
But the problem is deeper than just social media.
What About Digital Assets?
Digital assets and possessions can carry both sentimental and monetary value, butthey arent generally given much thought.
Only 2.3% of the survey participants stated that theyve made plans for their digital valuables after passing away.
Accessing computers, hard drives, phones, etc.
may be impossible if they dont have the passwordsor encryption keys.
Digital Death: Lets Talk About It
Digital death isnt a taboo topic.
Overall, not many are opposed to the idea ofsocial media accounts reflecting someones passing and becoming a memorial.
The first step towards preparing for digital death?
Start with the basics.
When you pass away, youre gone from the real world -but online, thats not the case.
Most of these digital mirrors of you will stay active as if nothing happened.
This is easier said than done.
Plus, since its a rather grim subject, the procedures rarely stand out.
Youll have todig deep into the terms of serviceto get your answers.
Theres more: in most cases,the account owner doesnt actually own anything.
Even ifyou wrote yourpost, uploadedyourphoto, or boughtyoursongs,they still might not belong to you.
Very few people like this fact.
Even fewer know about it, but thats the way it is.
You agreed to these terms, after all.
Now imagine you have accounts onGoogle, Facebook, and Twitter.
These are three of the most popular online social platforms, and each of them has its own approach.
you could also select what you want to share with the executors.
If youd ratherhave your account deletedafter its been designated as inactive, you have that option as well.
Your Facebook account can either be memorialized or permanently deleted after you pass away.
A memorialized Facebook profile keeps all of the content(photos, posts, etc.
), but wont appear in places like friend suggestions or ads.
Birthday notifications are deactivated, and the word Remembering will accompany the persons name.
Unlike Google,your legacy contact can never have access to your account, as Facebook prohibits account sharing.
A Facebook account is memorializedafter a valid request from a verified relative of the deceased person.
It can also be deleted.
Twitter doesnt give you the optionof planning for your profile after death.
Neither does it have memorialized accounts but your relatives can still sort things out.
Twitter can alsodeactivate an account if the owner has become incapacitated.
In such cases, copies of the account holders ID and a valid Power of Attorney are also needed.
And you would be right.
But ask yourself this would it be that hard if you only had one social media account?
Take a deep breath and focus youre taking responsibility for your digital afterlife, and it feels good.
Deal with your digital legacy now, so its easier later.
Keepingan organized, up-to-date list of your digital legacypreserves the digital you.
It also makes it easier for your loved ones to carry an immortal reminder of you with them.
Take control of what happens to your digital possessions after death.
In many cases,a persons digital legacy becomes inaccessiblewhen they pass away.
Sometimes, it may be a conscious decision on your part to keep your digital valuables locked away.
But usually, this isan unfortunate outcome for all sidesdue to lack of preparation.
Losing a family member is always a traumatic and painful experience.
It’s even more stressful if theres a bunch ofdevices and online data to sort through without clear guidance.
Help your business partners.
you gotta ensureyour associates can easily access whatever documentsyou deem important to the business.
Between the underdeveloped legislation on digital death and the ever-changing legal landscape, youll probably needprofessional help.
Each of the four purposes outlined above is crucial for a thought-out, comprehensive plan.
Depending on your situation, one may take priority over the others.
Here arethe steps it’s crucial that you take to make it prepare for your digital death.
If youre already an organized person, it wont be as difficult.
Dont worry about any details just yet this is just an outline of your valuable digital possessions.
Its recommended that you do this the old-fashioned way with a pen and paper.
Unless youre absolutely sure your rig is protected,its better not to take any risks.
you’ve got the option to read more on that further below, where well talk about security.
Earlier in the guide, we explained how the most popular social networks handle deceased users accounts.
you might alsodownload an archive of your Twitter postsandmake a backup of your Instagram contentby using third-party software likeInstaport.
If youre having trouble remembering all your account details, use thepassword recovery featureon the websites in question.
Then, contactsupport to recover the necessary information.
Reminder:youll most likely need to provide proof that youre the account holder.
Social media willsare gaining traction as a valuable legal document.
They fulfill the same purpose as a traditional will, but for your online presence.
DeadSocialhas a free, simple templatefor a social media will that you’re able to use.
For a more traditional will,DoYourOwnWilloffers a great template.
It takes no longer than 20 minutes to fill out after you complete a short questionnaire.
IMPORTANT: Dont forget to sign your will!
Depending on your countrys legal requirements, you may also need an additional signature by witnesses.
Youll have to provide them with the necessary knowledge or data.
You may also want to give your trustees the option of direct access.
Accessibilityis just one of the issues here.
The other one issecurity.
Unless youre writing everything down, youll be copying and pasting a lot of sensitive data back and forth.
Use a password manager.
The best part isyou can use many of them for free.
You only need to remember yourmaster passwordto enter the database.
Think about the advanced security measures in place (if any).
Prepare for this potential issue byresearching the security measures youve enabled.
Write them down and explain clearly what needs to be done to make it gain access.
You’ll need toprovide access keysif encryption is involved.
This may result in your encrypted data being lost forever.
As for two-factor authentication, look intousing USB security keys instead of the traditional SMS notifications.
If youre using encryption keys or USB authenticators, your sensitive data is kept much safer.
But you need tobe responsible about their storage.
However, if youve hidden them a little too well,access to these security measures may be impossible.
Keep that in mind.
Consider professional help.
Communication is a crucial part of preparing for digital death.
Youll need tomake a guidein order to adequately prepare your trusted family and friends.
This will cut down on extra stress and needless logistics.
You’re doing them a favor by helping them preserve your memory.
The guide should be straightforwardwith simple explanations of your setup.
There’s no need for difficult technical language.The steps should be clearand the necessary info should be readily available.
If youre trusting different people with different parts of your digital identity,consider making separate personalized guides.
Still, try topresent the information in a concise manner.
Just to be sure,make several copies of the guide/guides.
Keep all of them in the same place preferably with other documents relevant to your digital death.
A word of advice: give a shot to avoid storing these documents at home.
Even if you have a safe and are extra careful, theres always the risk of a break-in.
If possible, opt for a deposit box in a bank or a secure cloud service for online storage.
You are now prepared for your digital death.But theres one more thing you could do.
As the world rapidly shifts to the digital plane, our internet of friends and acquaintances expands.
Some of them even give you the option of sending greetings and well-wishes on special occasions.
Is it complicated to plan for digital death?
Is it lengthy and even tedious at times?
It can be.Is it worth all the time and effort youll invest into it?
Published: jan 10, 2019
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