A Guide to Managing Digital Assets After Death
In today’s digital age, people are accumulating not just physical assets, but a range of online properties as well. From social media accounts to digital investments, and even cryptocurrencies, the online world has become an integral part of our personal and financial lives. But what happens to these digital assets when someone passes away? How can you manage or inherit them?
This post will guide you through the process of handling online inheritance, providing practical steps for managing digital estates and ensuring that your online assets are protected for future generations.
What is Digital Inheritance?
Digital inheritance refers to the process of managing and transferring a deceased person’s online assets—ranging from email accounts and social media profiles to cryptocurrency wallets and online banking. With the increasing amount of personal and financial data stored online, it’s essential to have a plan in place for digital asset management after death.
1. Understand the Scope of Digital Assets
Before you can make a plan for managing your online inheritance, you need to know what digital assets you have. Common types of digital assets include:
- Social Media Accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms where you have profiles, posts, messages, and photos.
- Emails and Cloud Storage: Gmail, Yahoo, Dropbox, iCloud, etc.
- Financial Accounts: Digital banking, PayPal, Venmo, online investment portfolios, and cryptocurrency wallets.
- Digital Content: Music, photos, videos, blog content, e-books, and other digital creations.
- Subscriptions and Memberships: Online streaming services (Netflix, Spotify), online courses, and memberships.
- Domain Names and Websites: Personal or business websites you may own.
2. Create a Digital Estate Plan
Just like you would create a traditional will to allocate your physical assets, you should have a digital estate plan to manage your online possessions. This plan should include the following:
a. Designate a Digital Executor
A digital executor is someone responsible for managing your digital assets after you pass away. This person can be an executor of your will, or you can designate a different person with the appropriate technical knowledge and trustworthiness.
b. List Your Digital Assets
Compile a comprehensive list of your digital assets and accounts. This includes account usernames, passwords, security questions, and any other relevant access information. You can use a secure password manager to store this information, or consider writing it down in a secure location (like a safe).
c. Decide on Access Permissions
Not all digital assets should be accessed or transferred in the same way. For example:
- You may want your social media accounts to be memorialized rather than deleted.
- Your email accounts might need to be closed, or some messages forwarded to specific contacts.
- You may wish to pass on financial accounts to specific heirs.
Be clear about your wishes, and ensure that your digital executor understands what needs to be done with each asset.
3. Use the “Legacy” or “Memorialization” Features on Social Media
Many popular social media platforms have built-in options for managing accounts after death. Here’s how some of them work:
- Facebook: You can designate a legacy contact who can manage your account after you pass away. This person can write a final post, update your profile picture, or download your data. Alternatively, your account can be deleted.
- Instagram: Instagram allows you to request that an account be memorialized. When an account is memorialized, it’s kept online but is no longer accessible to anyone except those authorized.
- Google: Google has an “Inactive Account Manager” that allows you to choose what happens to your data if your account becomes inactive for a certain period. You can share your data with trusted contacts or have your account deleted.
- Twitter: Twitter allows you to deactivate or delete an account upon the death of the account holder, but this must be done by the family or legal representative.
Be sure to review the policies of each platform and designate an authorized person in advance to handle these accounts.
4. Consider Cryptocurrency Inheritance
Cryptocurrency presents unique challenges in inheritance due to its decentralized nature. Unlike traditional bank accounts or assets, cryptocurrencies require private keys to access. If you own cryptocurrency, ensure that your digital executor knows how to access your crypto wallet. You should take these steps:
- Secure Storage: Store your private keys in a secure place. Some people use hardware wallets, paper wallets, or trusted encrypted digital vaults.
- Create a Contingency Plan: Write clear instructions about how your digital executor can access the wallets and the associated private keys.
- Cryptocurrency Exchanges: If you hold crypto on an exchange, check whether the platform has an inheritance or legacy plan.
5. Understand Legal and Privacy Considerations
Handling digital assets after death involves more than just technical know-how—it’s also a legal matter. The laws surrounding digital inheritance vary by country and even by state. Some important legal considerations include:
- Accessing Accounts: Privacy laws often make it difficult for a digital executor to access someone’s accounts without proper authorization (such as a death certificate or power of attorney).
- Digital Will: Some countries now recognize “digital wills” that outline how to handle a person’s digital estate. In many cases, however, traditional wills or trusts must be supplemented with additional language to address digital assets.
- Terms of Service: Many online services have specific terms that govern what happens to accounts after death. Be sure to review the terms and conditions of each service to understand your rights and responsibilities.
6. Secure Your Digital Assets
The security of your digital estate is paramount. Take steps to ensure that your accounts are protected from unauthorized access while you’re alive and that they can be easily accessed by your digital executor upon your death. Some tips include:
- Use Strong, Unique Passwords: Avoid reusing passwords across multiple sites, and use complex, hard-to-guess passwords.
- Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): This adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. Ensure that your digital executor knows how to bypass or access 2FA if necessary.
- Password Manager: Consider using a password manager to store your login information securely.
7. Communicate Your Wishes
The most important part of digital inheritance is ensuring that your loved ones know your wishes. While creating a digital estate plan is crucial, it’s equally important to communicate your plan to your digital executor and family members. Consider having a conversation about your online assets, the location of your digital estate plan, and your preferences for each account.
Final Thoughts
As our lives become increasingly digital, handling online inheritance will only grow more important. By taking steps now to organize your digital assets, you can ensure that your online estate is handled according to your wishes after your passing. Whether it’s securing access to your social media accounts, ensuring your financial assets are transferred properly, or making sure your digital legacy is preserved, preparation is key.
Taking control of your digital inheritance not only protects your online presence but also gives your family and loved ones peace of mind during a challenging time.
Have you created a plan for your digital inheritance? Let us know in the comments below!
