If you trace the amount of time spent on the Internet, the number is a staggering 135 minutes in a day – and that too on social media alone. This is not accounting for the number of hours sent on email, e-commerce, searches, general browsing, banking, investments, blogs, music sites, and other websites. It goes to show our lives are tethered the Internet, and scores or versions of our profiles are floating about on the World Wide Web. Our Internet activity amounts to the digital footprint we create in the world – more often permanent, than not. Also, what stays after someone has passed, are the digital remains of someone’s life.
A birthday wish on social media, or an active Linked profile of someone who has passed can often be seen on the Internet. These accounts can be closed, but more often than not next of kin do not know how to go about. In the case of investments, bank log ins, insurance and other crucial details, eventually people take the help of the service provider, but this can be made easier by timely sharing of information.
Here are some tips on how to go about managing an online profile after someone has passed, and steps to help your family manage after you are gone.
Digital assets
Our digital assets, including businesses, banks and crypto currency accounts run with the help of email and online password linked bank accounts. It is imperative that these should be made aware to someone in the family. In the event of a sudden death, and inability to let remote business associates know that the owner has died, can be jeopardising to the business. You can also address this issue in your will, so no one is scrambling to find passwords later. You can also do this on the PlanBye platform.
Social Media
Presence on social media after death may not affect financials but is unnerving nevertheless. This is no longer difficult as services like Google, Facebook and Twitter have set up “legacy requests” to establish account preferences in case of death and even post a funeral announcements. A profile can also be memorialised on social media platforms now. In the case of Twitter, an authorised person can act on the behalf of the estate or deactivate an account after being verified. Google allows one to enable a feature called Inactive Account Manager, where one can instruct what is to be done with the Gmail messages when one dies or can no longer use the account. Even before that, a simple handover to someone else can be done prior to death else a request for termination of the account can be communicated to the platform.
Closing specific social media accounts:
- Facebook and Instagram – Log into your Facebook account and go to the Settings page. Under General, go to Manage Account, and add a name from your friend’s list to the Legacy Contact option. Since Instagram is now owned by Facebook, the same action can be taken at one go for both accounts.
- Google – Chances are that you use your Gmail account to login to a number of other Google services. You can close all of them from one link. Sign into Google, go to My Account and click on Personal Info & Privacy. Find Inactive Account Manager, and go through the step-by- step setup process. You’ll be able to add up to 10 individuals you trust who will notified if you haven’t logged in sometime between three and 18 months.
- Twitter – For Twitter, the process is swifter. In the event of a user’sdeath, friends or family can contact the company directly and request for an account to be deactivated.
In the event that the user has not opted for the services himself/herself, the next of kin can choose to reach out to the social media services and ask for the account to be permanently deleted. In this case, the below details are required for most services to prove authority to act on behalf of the deceased.
- Member name
- URL of their profile
- Your relationship to them
- Their email address
- The date they died
- Birth and death certificates for the deceased
- Proof of authority to act on their behalf
- A copy of your own ID (passport or driving license)
- A signed statement with your details and the reason for deactivation
- A link to an obituary regarding the person in question
Digital Executor
One can appoint a digital executor along with a traditional executor of your will to make sure only relevant people get access to digital accounts and passwords. This person can be entrusted with managing social media profiles, deleting files, downloading data, sharing photographs, passing critical accounts and their passwords to the beneficiaries. A distribution or action plan can also be communicated through this.
Countering immortal digital presence
There are simple steps one can take to avoid loss of information due to not logging in, or termination of social media accounts. This can be done with the help of PlanBye.
- Prepare an inventory of all digital assets so that on your death, people after you can find them easily.
- Keep an updated list of usernames and passwords.
- Make a note on your social media preferences; terminate or keep account as per that.
- Know in advance with the providers of your digital assets, if someone can operate them after your death.
One doesn’t have to be wedged to the Internet after death. The easiest way to navigate this is by collating latest information on usernames and passwords on PlanBye, and leaves a directive regarding your accounts.