Click here to view original web page at Digital Estate Planning: What to Do with 6 Common Social Media Accounts after a Death
Social media and other digital accounts have a life of their own. And that’s not always a good thing.
Has this happened to you?
You open LinkedIn and your Home page displays the photo of a deceased colleague or family member, along with a reminder to reconnect. Or there’s a notice that a deceased friend is having a birthday or work anniversary.
Maybe you’re using Facebook after a loved one’s death when postings made to his or her account suddenly appear on your Facebook wall. Or, because we increasingly live our lives online, your deceased uncle’s Instagram account contains the only photos of your last family Christmas together and you can’t access them.
Such online reminders are happening more and more frequently. Estimates put the number of Facebook profiles alone that have outlived their owners at 30 million or more.
Managing these accounts is just one aspect of managing a deceased person’s digital estate. So, what can you do? And can you plan ahead for this eventually for your own digital accounts?
Managing a Deceased Person’s Digital Accounts
Sometimes the problem is simply closing an account for a deceased colleague or family member. In other cases, you hope to gain access to a loved one’s accumulated photos, videos or other important files.
Sounds simple enough, but it’s not as straight-forward as you might assume. The rules and options differ from account to account — for example, you may be able to memorialize the account rather than simply having it deleted. And you’ll need documentation to support your request. For some social media accounts, including YouTube and other Google accounts, you can even predetermine what happens to your account in the event of your own death.
Read on for rules governing Google accounts, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Dropbox.
Google Accounts, Including YouTube and Gmail
If you’re an immediate family member or the representative of a deceased account owner, Google may be able to help you close the deceased person’s account(s) and/or provide you with access to content.
To communicate with Google — to provide a death notification, request closing an account, or request content from an account, for example — you’ll need to complete Google’s online request form.
Google also provides an optional Inactive Account Manager that allows you to determine who can access your accounts and data if you are incapacitated or deceased, or if you want the account deleted.
You begin by establishing a timeout period after which your account is considered inactive. As you near the end of this timeout period, Google sends you a notification by text message and/or email. When your account actually becomes inactive, Google notifies your designated contacts — up to 10 trusted friends and family members — that you are no longer using the account(s). You create the text for the notification in the Inactive Account Manager and Google includes a verification. You can also choose to share some or all of your data from the inactive account(s) with these trusted contacts. Optionally, you can request that Google close your account(s).
Typically, Facebook accounts can be deactivated, which is temporary, or deleted, which is permanent.
There is another option for a deceased person’s account, and that is to memorialize it. A memorialized account displays the word Rememberingnext to the deceased person’s name on the profile and, depending on the account’s privacy settings, allows friends and family members to share memories on the Timeline. Shared photos and posts remain visible to shared audience members, however the memorialized accounts can’t be logged into and the profiles don’t appear in public spaces.
For memorialized accounts, Facebook friends can request a Look Back video link that, according to Facebook, includes a movie, a collection of photos or a thank you card.
To request that Facebook delete or memorialize a deceased person’s account, you’ll need to be an immediate family member or executor. You’ll also be required to upload a death certificate, birth certificate or proof of authority and provide other relevant information using the online Special Request for Deceased Person’s Account form.
Friends and family members may also create a Facebook group to share memories and photos.
Immediate family members can request that Instagram remove the account of a deceased loved one, but anyone can report that an account owner has passed away and the account should be memorialized.
If you want to report an account to Instagram for memorialization, you’ll need to provide Instagram with basic information — including an obituary or some other proof of death — using an online form. Memorialized accounts can’t be changed and don’t appear in public spaces, but their previously shared posts continue to be visible to the people with whom they were shared.
To request that an account be deleted, there’s a different online form. To verify that you’re an immediate family member, as part of the process you’ll be asked to upload a copy of the deceased person’s death certificate, birth certificate or other proof of authority.
LinkedIn allows immediate and extended family members and certain nonfamily members — e.g. friends and co-workers — to inform LinkedIn that a member has died and to request that the deceased person’s account be deleted. To do so, you complete an online form provided for this purpose.
You’ll need to provide LinkedIn with basic information, including the LinkedIn member’s name and email address, profile URL, date of death and a link to an obituary.
Deleting the account means eliminating the profile and removing access to all the profile’s connections, as well as all recommendations and endorsements.
Twitter’s process to request that a deceased user’s account be removed is a bit different, and is limited to verified family members and other persons authorized to act on behalf of the estate.
You start by completing Twitter’s online Privacy Form to provide information about yourself and the deceased person’s account. Twitter will follow up with a confirmation email and instructions on how to provide additional information, including a copy of your ID and the deceased person’s death certificate.
Dropbox
If you’re trying to gain access to a deceased person’s files and you’re not already authorized to use the account, Dropbox may be able to help. However, because of privacy concerns, there’s no guarantee that you’ll ultimately be able to access the files.
To request access to the deceased person’s account, Dropbox will need information and supporting documentation. The company has publisheddetailed instructions on the web regarding the information it needs and where you should send the information.
Your time to act may be limited. Free Dropbox accounts that have been inactive for 24 months are automatically closed, after an additional 90-day warning period.
Social media and other digital accounts have a life of their own. And that’s not always a good thing.
Has this happened to you?
You open LinkedIn and your Home page displays the photo of a deceased colleague or family member, along with a reminder to reconnect. Or there’s a notice that a deceased friend is having a birthday or work anniversary.
Maybe you’re using Facebook after a loved one’s death when postings made to his or her account suddenly appear on your Facebook wall. Or, because we increasingly live our lives online, your deceased uncle’s Instagram account contains the only photos of your last family Christmas together and you can’t access them.
Such online reminders are happening more and more frequently. Estimates put the number of Facebook profiles alone that have outlived their owners at 30 million or more.
Managing these accounts is just one aspect of managing a deceased person’s digital estate. So, what can you do? And can you plan ahead for this eventually for your own digital accounts?
Managing a Deceased Person’s Digital Accounts
Sometimes the problem is simply closing an account for a deceased colleague or family member. In other cases, you hope to gain access to a loved one’s accumulated photos, videos or other important files.
Sounds simple enough, but it’s not as straight-forward as you might assume. The rules and options differ from account to account — for example, you may be able to memorialize the account rather than simply having it deleted. And you’ll need documentation to support your request. For some social media accounts, including YouTube and other Google accounts, you can even predetermine what happens to your account in the event of your own death.
Read on for rules governing Google accounts, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Dropbox.
Google Accounts, Including YouTube and Gmail
If you’re an immediate family member or the representative of a deceased account owner, Google may be able to help you close the deceased person’s account(s) and/or provide you with access to content.
To communicate with Google — to provide a death notification, request closing an account, or request content from an account, for example — you’ll need to complete Google’s online request form.
Google also provides an optional Inactive Account Manager that allows you to determine who can access your accounts and data if you are incapacitated or deceased, or if you want the account deleted.
You begin by establishing a timeout period after which your account is considered inactive. As you near the end of this timeout period, Google sends you a notification by text message and/or email. When your account actually becomes inactive, Google notifies your designated contacts — up to 10 trusted friends and family members — that you are no longer using the account(s). You create the text for the notification in the Inactive Account Manager and Google includes a verification. You can also choose to share some or all of your data from the inactive account(s) with these trusted contacts. Optionally, you can request that Google close your account(s).
Typically, Facebook accounts can be deactivated, which is temporary, or deleted, which is permanent.
There is another option for a deceased person’s account, and that is to memorialize it. A memorialized account displays the word Remembering next to the deceased person’s name on the profile and, depending on the account’s privacy settings, allows friends and family members to share memories on the Timeline. Shared photos and posts remain visible to shared audience members, however the memorialized accounts can’t be logged into and the profiles don’t appear in public spaces.
For memorialized accounts, Facebook friends can request a Look Back video link that, according to Facebook, includes a movie, a collection of photos or a thank you card.
To request that Facebook delete or memorialize a deceased person’s account, you’ll need to be an immediate family member or executor. You’ll also be required to upload a death certificate, birth certificate or proof of authority and provide other relevant information using the online Special Request for Deceased Person’s Account form.
Friends and family members may also create a Facebook group to share memories and photos.
Immediate family members can request that Instagram remove the account of a deceased loved one, but anyone can report that an account owner has passed away and the account should be memorialized.
If you want to report an account to Instagram for memorialization, you’ll need to provide Instagram with basic information — including an obituary or some other proof of death — using an online form. Memorialized accounts can’t be changed and don’t appear in public spaces, but their previously shared posts continue to be visible to the people with whom they were shared.
To request that an account be deleted, there’s a different online form. To verify that you’re an immediate family member, as part of the process you’ll be asked to upload a copy of the deceased person’s death certificate, birth certificate or other proof of authority.
LinkedIn allows immediate and extended family members and certain nonfamily members — e.g. friends and co-workers — to inform LinkedIn that a member has died and to request that the deceased person’s account be deleted. To do so, you complete an online form provided for this purpose.
You’ll need to provide LinkedIn with basic information, including the LinkedIn member’s name and email address, profile URL, date of death and a link to an obituary.
Deleting the account means eliminating the profile and removing access to all the profile’s connections, as well as all recommendations and endorsements.
Twitter’s process to request that a deceased user’s account be removed is a bit different, and is limited to verified family members and other persons authorized to act on behalf of the estate.
You start by completing Twitter’s online Privacy Form to provide information about yourself and the deceased person’s account. Twitter will follow up with a confirmation email and instructions on how to provide additional information, including a copy of your ID and the deceased person’s death certificate.
Dropbox
If you’re trying to gain access to a deceased person’s files and you’re not already authorized to use the account, Dropbox may be able to help. However, because of privacy concerns, there’s no guarantee that you’ll ultimately be able to access the files.
To request access to the deceased person’s account, Dropbox will need information and supporting documentation. The company has published detailed instructions on the web regarding the information it needs and where you should send the information.
Your time to act may be limited. Free Dropbox accounts that have been inactive for 24 months are automatically closed, after an additional 90-day warning period.
Click here to view full article
