When we die, we leave behind a legacy of pictures, letters, books, and other possessions for our family to remember us by. In today’s digital age, we also leave behind a legacy of emails, blogs, Twitter posts, Facebook pages, and other online traces. We know that in our will we should detail specific requests for our physical possessions, but what should we do about our digital legacy? What happens to our online presence after we die?John Romano and Evan Carroll have written a book, “Your Digital Afterlife” answering these, and many more, questions about our digital estates. (You can buy the book or read a sample chapter at http://www.yourdigitalafterlife.com/.)
Romano and Carroll bring up some important factors in arranging your digital estate. You can find some of their important tips on NPR's website, which ran a segment on the authors of the book: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/10/132617124/after-death-protecting-your-digital-afterlife. They recommend making sure your executor has a list of your online accounts, as well as your passwords. They also recommend naming a digital executor in addition to your main executor, to ensure that the person handling your online estate has the technological know-how to handle your various accounts.
Each website has its own unique policy for deceased users, and sifting through all of them can be a chore. Some websites require a death certificate while others require a working link to an obituary in order to prove the user has passed. Likewise, websites such as Facebook allow the user’s page to be memorialized while Yahoo closes and deletes the user’s account permanently. You can make the task of unearthing all your online material easier by ensuring any photos you have on Photobucket or similar websites are backed up onto a disk or hard drive. Some websites are non-transferable and after your death those pictures may be deleted.
For more information on the policies of websites such as Facebook, Yahoo, and Twitter check out the Digital Beyond: http://www.thedigitalbeyond.com/2010/12/so-what-does-happen-to-your-digital-assets-after-you-die/#facebook.
Remember, your digital legacy is only a portion of your entire estate. Only a qualified estate planning attorney can ensure your estate will pass on to your loved ones quickly and easily. To find out more about estate planning visit our website or contact your estate planning attorney.
