Dying in the Digital Age

I may not be the first to call your attention to this, but I have written before about the issues associated with our cyberspace identities when we die.  Increasingly, we have multifaceted virtual identities through our computers and the Internet.  We have passwords for accessing everything from bank accounts, to email accounts, to Facebook pages, to Twitter, and everything in between and beyond.  Some of these facets of our virtual selves may be more meaningful than others.  Social networking pages on sites like Facebook or My Space may carry with them many memories and emotional ties.  Other accounts on the Internet may contain important financial information.

So, you may be interested in a number of new articles that I came across today through Prof. Gerry Beyer's Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog in a post entitled "Accessing Email & Social Networking Accounts After A Loved-One's Death".  Beyer begins by asking the question: "What happens to an email or social networking account when the account owner dies?"  He follows that by discussing another article by Andrew Ramadge in news.com.au entitled "What Happens to Your Email When You Die?"  For good measure, Beyer links to his own earlier post on "What to Do When a Facebook Friend Passes Away."  These are both worth reading.

Also of interest may be Jon Gordon's piece on Future Tense entitled "The Death Switch," which discusses an online service, Deathswitch, which provides a way for your family and others to access critical information  after death.  Deathswitch operates by setting up certain protocols and checks to determine if you are likely   
"you've gone toes up" (Gordon's phrase).