Digital Legacy: Protecting Your Online Footprint
As our lives increasingly intertwine with the digital world, planning for our online afterlife becomes crucial. A digital legacy refers to the enduring online presence we leave behind after passing away. While some prefer a clean digital slate, others aim to preserve their memory through an active or passive online footprint.
Active digital legacies involve proactive steps like setting up auto-delete features or designating Social Media After Death (SMAD) policies. Conversely, passive legacies rely on chance or the decisions of others to shape one’s postmortem online identity.
Key considerations for digital legacy planning include the fate of social media accounts, email, online purchases, and access privileges for loved ones. You might choose to delete accounts, transfer assets, or grant specific individuals control over your online assets.
Fortunately, managing your digital legacy is achievable through various methods. Designating a digital executor, automating account deactivation, or including digital assets in your will are viable options. However, a straightforward starting point is to familiarize yourself with the digital legacy policies of popular online platforms.
What is a digital legacy policy?
A digital legacy policy is a statement from a website about what will happen to a user’s account after they die. It can include anything from whether or not the account will be deleted to whether or not the account will be transferred to someone else.
Some websites have strict legacy policies about what happens to accounts after the user dies, while others are more flexible. It’s essential to know the companies digital legacy policies of the websites you use before you make any decisions about your digital legacy.
Why are digital legacy policies important?
Digital legacy policies are vital because they help ensure that your accounts are managed the way you want after you die. If you don’t have a digital legacy policy, it may be up to the website’s discretion to decide what happens to your account. It could mean that your account is deleted, or it could be transferred to someone without your permission.
Digital legacy policies are also crucial because they can help you to plan for what will happen to your online presence after you die. For example, if you know that you want your social media accounts to be deleted after you die, you can let your family and friends know so they can save any memories or photos they want before the accounts are deleted.
RUFADAA is a law that provides an attorney or the executor of an estate with access to someone’s online accounts after death or incapacitation. The law, enacted in 2016, provides a legal process for executors to access someone’s online accounts after death. It includes email accounts, social media accounts, and online banking accounts. RUFADAA also allows appointing a “digital executor” to manage someone’s online presence after death.
Digital legacy policies of top websites
Digital legacy policies are becoming increasingly important as our lives move more and more online. The personal data protection act (PDPA) is a law that protects an individual’s data from being collected, used, or disclosed without their consent. The PDPA applies to any company that collects, uses, or discloses personal data, including websites and apps.
The PDPA requires companies to get an individual’s consent before collecting, using, or disclosing their data. Companies must also provide individuals with a way to withdraw their consent if they no longer want their data to be collected, used, or disclosed.
The PDPA does not apply to companies that collect, use, or disclose an individual’s data to provide goods or services to the individual. Many popular websites now have digital legacy policies in place so that users can decide what will happen to their accounts after they die. Here are the digital legacy policies of some popular websites:
If you die, your account can be turned into a memorialized account by Facebook. It means that your profile will be deactivated, and only confirmed friends will be able to see it. If you have not designated a Legacy Contact, Facebook will appoint one for you. Your Legacy Contact will be able to write a post to appear at the top of your timeline, respond to new friend requests, and update your profile picture and cover photo.
To designate a Legacy Contact, go to Settings > Security and click on the “Manage Legacy Contact” link.
YouTube
If you die, your account can be turned into a legacy account by YouTube. It means that your account will be deactivated, and only people you have designated as managers will be able to access it. You can also choose to have your account deleted.
To designate managers for your account, go to Settings > Advanced settings > Manage other accounts.
Yahoo
You can appoint a “digital executor” to manage your Yahoo account after you die. This person can access and close your account and download your data.
To appoint a digital executor, click on the “Manage Account Recovery Options” link on the Account Security page. Then, under the “In the event of my death” section, click on the “Add/Edit Executor” link.
Paypal
Paypal’s policy is that all accounts are non-transferable and will be closed when the account holder dies. Any balance in the account will be refunded to the named estate representative.
To close a Paypal account due to death, you will need to fax or mail in documentation such as a copy of the death certificate, a letter from the executor or administrator of the estate, and your Paypal email address and password.
eBay
Ebay’s policy is a little different in that it allows you to designate someone to take over your account after you die, but this person will not have access to your financial information. This person will be able to change your profile information, close your account, or do nothing.
To designate a successor for your eBay account, go to My eBay > Preferences > Site Preferences and scroll down to the “In the event of my death” section.
iTunes
When you die, your iTunes account is closed, and all your content is removed. If you have any subscriptions, they will be canceled.
To designate someone to have access to your iTunes account after you die, go to the Apple ID website and sign in with your Apple ID. Click on the “Manage your Apple ID” link and then click on the “Request Account Deletion” link.
Amazon
If you die, your Amazon account can be closed by a close relative. To do this, they will need to send Amazon a copy of the death certificate along with either (1) the email address and password associated with your account or (2) your Amazon Payments Agreement.
Twitter’s policy is similar to Facebook’s. If you die, your account can be deactivated and turned into a memorialized account by Twitter. Your tweets will still be visible, but people will not be able to tweet or retweet from the account.
To designate a Legacy Contact, go to Settings > Security and click on the “Deactivate my account” link. Then, click on the “Advanced options” link and select “I want to deactivate my account but preserve my Twitter data in case I die.”
If you have a Google account, you can use its Inactive Account Manager to specify what should happen to your data if your account becomes inactive for a specified period. You can choose to have your data deleted after three, six, or twelve months of inactivity.
To set up Inactive Account Manager, go to your Google account’s Security settings and scroll down to the “Inactive Account Manager” section.
Instagram does not currently have a digital legacy policy. However, it has announced that it is working on one. In the meantime, if you want your account to be deleted after you die, you will need to contact Instagram’s customer support and request that they do so. Close relatives can memorialize your account.
If you die, a close relative can deactivate your LinkedIn account. To do this, they will need to send LinkedIn a copy of the death certificate along with either (1) the email address and password associated with your account or (2) your LinkedIn profile URL.
Conclusion
Digital property is an essential part of many people’s lives. Each company has its policies and procedures for dealing with these situations. It is essential to know these policies to plan for your legacy and data protection. If you want your digital property to be handled a certain way after you die, you need to make sure that you have taken the necessary steps to ensure this will happen.
