Let's face it: Very few of us are prepared for our own demise. It's unlikely we have our will ready or even a list of our online accounts and what we'd want done with them if death should ever surprise us.
Recognizing this, the company Entrustet has launched a new program to help families and lawyers gather the digital estate of the recently deceased. By looking for digital assets, or online accounts and data that can possess sentimental and economic value, the program tackles the often overwhelming task of tracking down loved ones' information after they're gone.
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It works like this: Families and estate planners provide the email address of a recently deceased friend or family member to the company. Next, a program compiles a Digital Property Report from searching more than 50 of the most popular websites to hunt down accounts. The company then issues a list of those accounts, along with information on how to transfer, memorialize or delete them.
Since much of a person's financial information is dealt with legally through an estate planner, the report focuses on social media accounts such as Facebook or websites that carry special value to the deceased or their families, including blogs and photo hosting sites. At this point in time, many of these assets lack legal weight because they're intangible and difficult to tie into a person's will.
The company also provides tips for what might happen if specific accounts aren't transferred or memorialized. As you might imagine, unmonitored accounts are especially vulnerable to being hacked or spammed.
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In one of the program's case studies, it found 15 accounts for a 42-year-old business owner who had recently passed away. It's unclear what might happen to other accounts that aren't included in the program's system at this time.
In case you're looking to address this issue sooner than later, here's a list of companies that cater to the living and dead's digital assets.
Photo by Spencer E Holtaway/Flickr.com
Tags: Death and Dying
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