How to Handle a Loved One's Digital Legacy
Managing a loved one’s digital legacy after their passing is an essential yet complex task that requires sensitivity and careful planning. Digital legacies include social media profiles, emails, online accounts, and digital content like photos and documents. Here’s how to approach this task:
Prepare a digital inventory. Start by compiling a list of all digital assets, including social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn), email accounts, subscription services (Netflix, Spotify), online banking and financial platforms, cloud storage accounts (Google Drive, iCloud), websites or blogs, and other online profiles (forums, memberships).
Get access to accounts. Gaining access to these accounts can be challenging. Ideally, the deceased would have prepared a list of usernames and passwords or used a digital management tool like a password manager. If not, you may need to contact the service providers directly and provide proof of death and/or your relationship/executor status.
Review terms of service. These documents outline how accounts can be managed after an owner’s death, including policies on account closure, memorialization and data retrieval.
Download and secure important data. This could include photographs, videos, documents, or anything of sentimental or legal value. Decide on a secure method of storage, such as encrypted drives or cloud services.
Inform friends and family of the person’s passing (where appropriate). Decide whether to delete or memorialize their social media accounts. Memorialization keeps the profile active in a limited way to allow friends to remember the deceased. Deletion permanently removes the profile and all associated data.
Handle email accounts. Securing access to the deceased’s email is crucial as it can be central to resetting passwords and gaining access to other accounts. Decide whether to maintain the account for a period of time to manage incoming messages or close it permanently after saving necessary content.
Create a digital memorial. Having a platform like a dedicated website, a social media page or a digital memory box allows friends and family to share memories and keeps the spirit of the loved one alive in the digital realm.
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