Don’t Forget To Make Arrangements for Your Online Life After Death, FTC Says

Don’t forget to create a plan for what you want to happen to your online life after you die, FTC Consumer and Business Education Counsel Carol Kando-Pineda wrote in a blog post Friday. “All the digital files, photos, posts and other accounts you leave behind might cause a lot of inconvenience -- even fraud or identity theft -- for your loved ones to clean up." Kando-Pineda recommended individuals make an inventory of their digital accounts including for email, social media, blogging, gaming and cloud storage. “Set up a spreadsheet or other file to keep track of each site’s name, URL, your user name, password, your wishes for each, and other information that might be necessary for access,” Kando-Pineda said. “Some of your accounts may involve money -- either real-world or online currencies -- and may require additional attention.” Some accounts allow an individual to make arrangements or name someone to manage accounts after death, so research your options, she said. Don’t attach this inventory to your will because your will becomes a public document after your death, Kando-Pineda said. It may help to name a digital executor to handle these tasks, either a friend, family member or third-party service, Kando-Pineda said. A series of reports showed how laws don't fully address such digital decedent issues (see 1508060032), and in their absence some but not all Web companies are rolling out their own services for digital life after death (see 1508070025).