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THE DIGITAL AFTERLIFE PREPARING FOR THE
Death is an inevitable part of life. It’s why we plan for it. From funeral arrangements to a last will and testament, it’s human nature to want to make sure no loose ends exist when we leave this world.
But have you thought about what to do with your Facebook page after you’re no longer living? Social media has presented a new set of challenges when it comes to planning for death and people aren’t sure how to approach it. On the one hand, keeping social media accounts alive after someone has passed can be a source of comfort as people grieve and eventually come to remember their loved one. However, if you decide you want to manage the content of your deceased loved one’s social media accounts, or if you want to shut them down completely, it becomes tricky. Without passwords to gain access, it’s difficult to control their online legacy.
However, more and more companies are offering options for people who want to create a blueprint for their online presence after they’re gone. Here are just a few tools and processes to help manage your digital afterlife:
Last year, Facebook rolled out a new feature that lets you assign a Facebook friend as your “legacy contact.”
Your legacy contact will have a special level of access to your account. For example, your contact will be able to download your account’s archive, which includes your photos, and respond to new friend requests, but they won’t be able to post on your behalf or read your private messages.
Whoever you choose as your legacy contact will not be notified until you pass away. To set up this option, open Facebook Settings, select Security, and then click on Legacy Contact at the bottom of the page.
Facebook also offers the option to have your account entirely deleted upon your death.
Twitter strictly prohibits giving anyone access to the accounts of deceased Twitter users regardless of their relationship to the account holder. However, they will work with those who wish to have their loved one’s account deactivated.
On their website, people can fill out a privacy form to request the account be shut down. Once the request is submitted, Twitter will send an email requesting more information, including information about the deceased, a copy of the requestor’s ID, and a copy of the account holder’s death certificate.
Google recognizes no one wants to think about death, but there’s nothing wrong with making plans for when it happens.
They have a feature called Inactive Account Manager (IAM), which can be found on your Google Account settings page. There, you can tell Google what to do about your Gmail messages and data from other Google services if your account become inactive for however many months you choose.
If you chose to assign someone access to your Google account, they will be able to see your data but they will not be able to alter it or act as if the account belongs to them.
For those who failed to use the IAM feature before they died, people can still make a request to access or close someone’s account in the Google Accounts Help Center.
Apple
Because Apple is notoriously strict when it comes to their privacy policies, issues involving a deceased loved one’s accounts are handled on a case-by-case basis.
The best way to start the process of retrieving any information, if at all possible, is by calling Apple’s customer service support number at 1.800.275.2273.
Tools
Afterword.cc allows you to send private and secure messages to people after you’re gone. The messages can include financial information, passwords, a list of contacts or anything you want to share.
Chronicles of Life lets users save digital files forever. People can upload photos, documents, written memories, and even emails that are permanently preserved. You can then set it up to allow family and friends to have access, or you can make it public.
Vuture can be used to create personalized video messages that are then delivered at the exact day and time you choose to the people you want to see it.
For a list of more digital death services, visit thedigitalbeyond.com.
