Digital Life After Death

Unless someone tells Facebook, it doesn’t know you’re dead, and your page will continue to
exist. The company will delete that page altogether at the request of your loved ones. Or
your relatives can turn the page into an online memorial, so friends and other visitors can
continue to see the old photos and message posts — and even add new comments.

Yahoo and Instagram take a hard-core approach. If your relatives provide proof of your
death, these companies will delete all your files. But as for the material itself, your family
may not be able to get into those stored files, because neither company will provide your
relatives with a password.

Twitter is a little more gentle. The company will delete a dead user’s files but next of kin
can request a copy of all the person’s public tweets.

Google is perhaps the most humane. Last year, the Internet giant added a feature to let
you pass on your files if you pass on. When you don’t log onto Google for, say, six
months, the company will contact up to 10 people of your choice and grant them access
to your files. You can be selective about it, letting the kids view your photos, for
instance, but blocking their access to old e-mails. Or you can program it to delete your
entire Google history after a preset period of time, and take your secrets to the grave.
Related

At least seven states, including Connecticut and Rhode Island, have passed laws that
allow your designated representative to access your online accounts; a group called the
Uniform Law Commission is drafting model legislation for all 50 states. But for now,
Massachusetts residents must take their chances.

There’s another worry: Who can you trust with your passwords? A company called
PasswordBox offers a shrewd solution. PasswordBox is an online vault where you can
store login data for all your accounts; the only password you have to remember is the
one that unlocks the vault. I’ve long used a similar service called LastPass.

PasswordBox has an extra feature called Legacy Locker, which lets you designate a
“password heir.” This person has no access to your passwords until you die. Then he or
she contacts PasswordBox, provides proof of your passing, and is granted access. A basic
PasswordBox account is free and lets you store up to 25 passwords; the unlimited
version costs $11.99 per year.

Hiawatha Bray - Boston Globe 1/16/14