Digital legacies 'are a dead duck'

Fears over what happens to consumers’ online data once they have died – so-called digital legacies – have been heightened by a new survey which shows three out of four people have made no provision for relatives to access their information.
The survey by Co-op Funeralcare shows a slight improvement on a study carried out two years ago – which found that just 10% of UK citizens had included passwords in their wills – but awareness is still worryingly low, considering the depth and breadth of digital data.
Co-op Funeralcare is now calling on people to put their account details, including passwords, in a sealed letter to their executors, although not in their will as this could become a public document once they die.
The survey found that while almost all bank customers now have access to their accounts online, almost 80% of those who attempted to manage online bank, utility, shopping and social media accounts following a death said they had experienced problems.
However, only one in six said they wanted their next of kin to have access to their social media accounts, with around the same number saying they would like them to stay in touch with their online contacts.
Co-op Funeralcare director of operations Sam Kershaw told the BBC: “Conversations about end of life are never easy. However, as we increasingly live and manage our lives online, communicating with a loved one about the accounts you hold and what you would want to happen to them may greatly help should they ever need to access, manage or close accounts on your behalf.”
Earlier this month Facebook revealed a new set of legacy policies for its users, allowing them to nominate a family member or friend who could manage their account when they pass away.
This will allow the nominated person to write a post to display at the top of the memorialised Timeline, respond to new friend requests, and update the profile picture and cover photo.
Google introduced a similar scheme in 2013, dubbed Inactive Account Manager. It allows users of Gmail, Google+ and YouTube to determine what happens to their data once they have died, enabling them to either delete all of their data after a set period of time, or pass it on to specific people.

Digital legacies ‘are a dead duck’

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