When someone passes away – it is a difficult task to track down their online presence. Also, with business now primarily online, there are potential assets being left unclaimed. For starters – did you know that over 25% of life insurance policies go unclaimed? Take steps now to make the process easier on yourself and loved ones.
Google recently introduced a new feature that allows users to select worthy contacts to receive data from many Google services such as Gmail, Drive, Google+ Profiles, Pages, Picasa Web Albums, Google Voice and YouTube.
Now, Google users can: (1) have their data deleted after a span of inactivity, AND (2) pass control of their account to the executor of their estate after death.
Similarly, Facebook allows content to be accessed by an authorized representative of a deceased account holder, but “the application to obtain account content is a lengthy process and will require you to obtain a court order.” The current form is here. What if the only pictures of friends and families were on a deceased account holder’s facebook account in a protected private folder?
Check out this cool infographic courtesy of AfterSteps that outlines what the recovery steps are for common accounts such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Yahoo, AOL, Pinterest, Instagram.
States have already passed legislation regulating one’s digital presence following their death. The future undoubtedly holds many new laws regarding “internet wills” for a person’s digital afterlife.
What is your plan for your Facebook and Google accounts?
Contact Holt Law to help with your estate planning including wills, advanced healthcare directives and powers of attorney with an eye toward all of your assets – including the ones online. This is NOT legal advice.
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