When a person passes away, their family naturally begins to think about the inheritance of visible assets such as houses, land, bank accounts, jewellery, or other physical belongings. But in today’s world, we lead another life — our digital life. Stored within this digital life are years of photos, conversations, documents, emails, social media memories, online businesses, websites, and sometimes digital assets with real financial value.
But what happens to all of this after a person dies?
The answer to this question remains unknown to many families. As a result, alongside the grief of losing a loved one, they are often plunged into digital complications. No one knows the phone's passcode, the email account remains inaccessible, a business Facebook page is left without an admin, or countless family photos stored in the cloud are lost forever.
Today, even an average individual can have numerous online accounts, such as Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos, YouTube, iCloud, OneDrive, WhatsApp, Telegram, bKash or banking apps, e-commerce accounts, domains, web hosting, and various subscriptions.
Some of these accounts hold personal memories, while others may carry financial and legal significance for the family. A photographer’s lifetime of work might be stored in the cloud. A writer’s email might contain unpublished manuscripts. An entrepreneur’s personal account could be linked to a company's website, ad accounts, and customer data.
Without prior planning, recovering these assets can become extremely difficult.
Upon receiving proof of a user’s death, Facebook can convert the account into a memorialised profile. It then serves as a space for friends and family to share memories, but no one can log into it normally anymore.
If the user previously designated a 'Legacy Contact', that person can handle limited responsibilities, such as updating the profile and cover photos, managing tribute posts, or requesting account deletion. However, they cannot read private messages.
While still alive, users can also choose to have their Facebook account permanently deleted upon their passing.
One crucial detail is that if a business or organisation’s Facebook page is managed by a single person's account, the page is put at risk after that person's death. According to Facebook, if the sole admin's account is memorialised, the associated page may be removed upon receiving a valid request.
Therefore, it is essential to have at least two trusted admins for any business page.
Google offers a feature called 'Inactive Account Manager'. Through this, users can decide what happens if there is no activity on their account for an extended period.
They can set parameters such as how long the account must remain inactive before action is taken, who should be notified or given access to specific data, and whether the account should be automatically deleted.
In other words, users can grant a trusted individual access to their Gmail, Google Drive, Photos, or other selected data.
Google itself states that using the Inactive Account Manager is the best way to determine in advance who receives your data or whether your account should be deleted after your passing.
If this system is not set up beforehand, family members can submit a request to Google. However, there is no guarantee that complete access will be granted upon initial request. Google evaluates each request individually, taking privacy, laws, and required documentation into consideration.
Apple offers a 'Legacy Contact' feature for its users. This allows individuals to designate one or more trusted people during their lifetime who can request access to specific data stored in the Apple account after their death.
For this, the chosen contact is provided with a special access key. After the user’s death, the contact can apply by submitting the access key along with the death certificate and other required documents. Upon approval, they gain access to photos, notes, files, and other designated data.
According to Apple, setting up a Legacy Contact is the safest and easiest way to ensure a trusted person can access your data after you pass away.
However, not all data is handed over. Payment details, passwords, or certain licensed digital content remain subject to separate policies.
Many believe that simply writing down all passwords on a piece of paper solves the problem. However, this is not a secure approach.
Passwords change; the paper could fall into the wrong hands, or logging in might still be impossible without two-factor authentication codes. Moreover, accessing someone's account using their password after their death may violate the platform's terms of service or local laws.
Therefore, rather than revealing master passwords directly, it is better to use secure password managers with emergency access features alongside platform-specific legacy tools.
Digital inheritance can also include assets with tangible monetary value, such as domain names and websites, YouTube channels, monetised Facebook pages, online businesses, paid software, digital wallets, cryptocurrencies, online courses, e-books, royalty income, and ad accounts.
Suppose a company’s domain is registered solely under the owner’s personal email address. In the event of their sudden demise, no one else will receive renewal notices. Once the domain expires, both the company's website and email services could shut down.
Similarly, a YouTube channel or online business might be generating steady revenue, but heirs may have no idea which email, phone number, or bank account is linked to it.
We are familiar with making wills for physical property. Similarly, there is now a growing need for a digital will or digital estate planning.
This is not a replacement for a conventional will. Instead, it outlines your critical digital accounts, specifying which should be archived, which should be deleted, who receives personal photos and documents, who manages business accounts, and where crucial files are stored.
Instead of directly listing passwords, you can include emergency access instructions through a password manager. You do not have to treat deeply personal data the same as general family photos. The decision regarding which information your family receives and which disappears with you rests entirely with you.
First, make a list of your important digital accounts. Next, set up Facebook's Legacy Contact, Google's Inactive Account Manager, and Apple's Legacy Contact.
Add backup admins or authorised managers to business pages, domains, websites, and cloud storage. Maintain at least two backups of vital family photos and documents. Use a password manager, and inform a trusted family member where the emergency instructions are located.
For banking, mobile financial services (MFS), and investment accounts, follow the respective institutions' nominee and inheritance policies. If necessary, consult a legal professional to incorporate digital assets into your formal legal will.
Planning for death feels uncomfortable. Yet the reality is that our digital lives, much like our physical ones, have an end. The difference is simple: even after a person passes away, their photos, writings, messages, voice recordings, and online identity can persist for years.
Without proper planning, these digital footprints can cause emotional distress for families, as well as lead to financial loss, privacy leaks, and lengthy legal complications.
Therefore, alongside real estate, physical property, and bank accounts, it is crucial to decide on the inheritance of your digital life. Because even after your final logout, a part of you remains online. The question is: who will hold the controls?
