LONDON (AP) — In today’s digital age, many people have accumulated vast amounts of data throughout their lives, including selfies, emails, and videos on various social media and digital platforms. This raises an important question: what becomes of our digital assets when we pass away?
It’s essential to create a will to outline who gets your physical possessions after you’re gone, but it’s equally crucial to manage your digital estate. The files, posts, and memories you leave behind may hold sentimental value for friends and family. Without proper planning, they could end up inaccessible in digital limbo. Here’s a guide on how you can prepare your online life for your loved ones.
Preparing Your Digital Legacy
Each major digital platform has its own method for handling accounts after a user’s death. Below are some key strategies for popular services:
Apple
Apple provides an option to assign a “ legacy contact ” who can access your account data posthumously. This ensures that trusted individuals can view your photos, files, and messages. To use this feature, you need an Apple device with iOS or iPadOS 15.2 or newer, or macOS Monterey 12.1 or newer.
To set it up on your iPhone, navigate to Settings, select Sign-in & Security, and then Legacy Contact. You can assign one or more contacts, and they are not required to have an Apple ID. You will need to share an access key with them—this could be sent digitally, printed, or saved as a screenshot or PDF.
Keep in mind that certain types of files, such as those protected by digital rights (like music and movies), cannot be transferred. Additionally, the legacy contact will only have access for three years before Apple permanently deletes the account.
Google has established the Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to designate how your data should be handled if you stop using your account. You can choose a waiting period of three to 18 months before Google marks your account as inactive.
After this designated period, Google can notify up to 10 people about your account inactivity. You can also send a custom message informing them about your account status and provide a link to download your data, which includes emails, photos, calendar entries, and YouTube videos. If you want, you can set your account to delete automatically after three months of inactivity.
Facebook and Instagram
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, allows users to memorialize accounts after a user’s passing. To memorialize an account, family or friends must submit a request through an online form.
Facebook recommends that users add a legacy contact, who will be able to manage the memorial account by responding to friend requests and updating pinned posts, though they cannot access private messages or alter existing posts. Only one legacy contact can be assigned, and they must have a Facebook account.
If necessary, close family members or executors can request that Facebook or Instagram delete the account, but they must submit documentation such as a death certificate.
TikTok
TikTok allows users to memorialize an account after death. Users can request this through the app by navigating to the settings menu, selecting Report a Problem, then Account and Profile, and finally Manage Account to report a deceased user.
After memorialization, the account will display as “Remembering,” and nobody will be able to log in, preventing any changes or new content from being posted.
X
On Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter), there isn’t an option to nominate a legacy contact. However, family members or authorized individuals can submit a request to deactivate the account of a deceased user.
Managing Passwords
In addition to your social media accounts, you likely have numerous other digital accounts whose access your loved ones might need. Instead of jotting down all your passwords in a notebook (which can be easily lost or found), consider using a password manager with an emergency access feature. These digital vaults securely store all your credentials.
Some password managers, like Keeper, Bitwarden, and NordPass, allow you to designate one or more trusted contacts who can access your credentials in case of emergencies like death.
Remember that these contacts must also use the same password manager, and there may be associated costs for the service.
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