Some have calculated that roughly 19,000 Facebook users die each day. We used to leave behind letters in shoe boxes, rolls of film to be remembered by; but what happens to our social media and email accounts when we’re gone, and who could gain access to them?
Fortunately there are some tools available for managing your online accounts when you’re gone.
Facebook: Memorialize or Delete the Deceased’s Account
Contrary to what some think, Facebook does not delete accounts that go untouched for ages. In other words: there could be a lot of Facebook accounts floating around that belong to the dead.
Family members can “memorialize” a belated relative’s Facebook account; this means the account will no longer show up in searches or on the Suggestions page, but family and confirmed friends can still leave posts on the late user’s wall in remembrance. If a deceased person shows up in “People You May Know,” you can report this to Facebook so the account can be memorialized. Many family members say keeping a loved one’s profile up is a way that friends and family can continue to feel connected with the individual.
Family members may want to remove the profile of the deceased family may want to do to if the deceased leaves a less-than-savory legacy online — or if old friends or enemies are leaving insensitive comments on the person’s page. While Facebook will not give out login information to family, verified immediate family members may request the removal of a loved one’s account by presenting the deceased’s birth certificate or death certificate.
Add Your Digital Assets to Your Will
A handful of states have made laws regarding “digital asset management” after death, and others are considering it. Such bills seek “to clarify the rights of personal representatives in the new digital age, where private information is tucked away in cyberspace instead of a shoebox.”
Currently Gmail and Hotmail will mail an estate holder a CD with the deceased’s account information (you’ll need a death certificate and proof of power of attorney), but there have been battles with other companies who won’t give out login info to family on the basis of privacy. USA.gov suggests writing a “Social Media Will,” which would state how you would like your profiles to be handled; leave a document listing all websites where you have a profile, along with usernames and passwords. This can especially be great if you have a blog, so that someone can inform your readers of your passing. You can also entrust services like Entrustet, Legacy Locker and My Webwill for passing on online account access after death.
Another tip: be careful what you write online, even if it’s private while you’re alive, the content you leave leave behind may be accessed later by relatives and others you didn’t plan for after passing.
