16 September 2024
At a time when an increasing number of things are taking place digitally, it is important to think about your digital estate. This is a document in which you list what you want to happen to your digital presence after your death. If you do nothing, your digital presence will remain online.
You should therefore inform your next of kin of your preferences. From practical matters such as what to do with your Facebook account, to giving access to your online profiles. Share your passwords with whoever will be responsible for dismantling your digital presence after your death. This can be done in several ways: in a digital safe or in your will.
When preparing a digital estate, it is important to realise that others often do not know what you are doing online. You should therefore ensure that your estate is as comprehensive, specific and, most importantly, as personal as possible. Rather than saying “I have some online funds”, you should say what funds you have, where they can be found, how someone can access them and what to do with them.
Preparing a digital estate is important in order to avoid tedious proceedings and ambiguity after your death. It will be frustrating for your next of kin if something needs to be arranged with an online organisation, but no one can access it. The ‘rules of the game’ often differ for each organisation. Larger organisations have often developed transparent policies, although not all have. After you have completed your list of the platforms you are active on, check what their policies are in the case of death. Knowing what these policies are will allow you to prepare. After your death, it would make things very difficult if organisations refused to listen to your next of kin on the grounds of privacy.
If this happens your next of kin will have to bring legal proceedings, which is expensive and can take a long time. It is also distressing if your digital estate is not handled properly. One good example is Facebook. It sends your friends a notification every year that it is your birthday. This is distressing to receive after your death.
My advice is to prepare your digital estate, store the document in a clear place and inform your next of kin.
Would you like more information on preparing your digital estate? Please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to assist you.
