The age of the digital world is rapidly progressing, forcing us to confront previously unthought of and potentially uncomfortable situations. Almost everyone has some form of online social presence.
Most people however, give little thought to what happens to their social media presence when they die.
As a rule, social media platforms view private information such as passwords and usernames as the personal property of the deceased and the deceased’s alone and generally do not pass such information on. Instead, once the social medial platform is provided with a proof of death, most commonly in the form of a death certificate, they will transform the deceased’s profile from an active or normal profile to one ‘in memoriam’.
These ‘in memoriam’ profiles are in theory quite nice, they are a digital space to visit and ponder the life of the deceased. This can become a problem however, if the deceased did not keep a well presented social media presence. I know of parents who have tragically lost their teenage children and felt that the social media accounts were neither a fitting nor appropriate testimonial. Unfortunately, the parents remained powerless to edit the accounts.
Also consider:
How will your executor identify your assets and liabilities if the only record is via email and they do not have your passwords?
Do you wish to leave your digital assets and/or your social media presence to a particular beneficiary or is there a particular person you wish to manage and/or close your online accounts?
Call Manny Wood for Accredited Specialist advice regarding your digital estate planning.
This article is intended to be for information and educational purposes only and cannot be relied upon as legal advice. The information may not apply to your circumstances or to your particular situation. If you need specific advice or you have any questions, we welcome you to contact us directly.
