When people die, they leave a digital legacy behind which is all the data or things they have ever downloaded on their phones and computers including music, photos and games. Known as ‘digital assets,’ when people leave the planet, they could have expensive music collections online, a huge database of family photos or even large sums of money which they can potentially bequeath to family members or friends.
A digital legacy also refers to any online accounts that are open but obviously can no longer used – so one’s digital assets may consist of the following:
-music
-films
-games
-photos
-money e.g Bitcoin, Paypal, Online Banking
-social media accounts e.g facebook, twitter, linkedin
-ecommerce e.g Amazon, Ebay
Contents
why is a digital legacy important?
More and more people are keeping their finances, photos and music online– but this is causing a lot stress for relatives to recover once they die. If passwords are not shared or accounts are created without anyone else’s knowledge, there can be huge media collections or sums of money that go unclaimed.
planning your digital legacy
Planning your digital legacy is important because not only should your loved ones be able to enjoy your online collections but also having online bank accounts open or your details automatically saved on Amazon can present a serious fraud risk. (Source: The Law Society)
Therefore, people are encouraged to create a digital legacy letter or log, highlighting all the things they own online and making this available to a loved one.
In fact, the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme Protocol, which recommends completion and maintenance of a Personal Assets Log, including digital assets and consideration of how to ensure that those dealing with the estate will be able to access those assets. It also means that if you have online banking that your executors will be able to close down the accounts and claim the money on behalf of your estate.
Other things you can do include creating joint accounts online with your spouse, whether it’s online banking or sharing an account on facebook and twitter and this will avoid you having to go through the paperwork and any other hassle.
Recovering your digital assets
There are ways you can recover the digital assets of a loved one if they have passed without providing a digital log or letter. Online service providers have started providing teams that specialise in digital legacy and handling digital assets, and they can be contacted in the following ways:
For Gmail:
Website address:https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/2842525?hl=en
1) Provide the following information:
• Your full name
• Your postal and e-mail address
• A copy of your ID or driving licence
• The Gmail address or Google username of the deceased user
• A copy of the death certificate.
2) Google will send an e-mail and you will then need to send the following along with the above:
• The full header of the e-mail
• The entire content of the e-mail.
3) Send all the above by post or fax to:
Google Inc.
Gmail User Support – Decedents’ Accounts
c/o Google Custodian of Records
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
Fax: 650-396-4502
For Facebook:
Website address:https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480
1) Follow the hyperlink, and provide the following information:
• Your full name
• Full name of the deceased’s personal account
• Account e-mail address of the deceased
• Web address to the deceased’s timeline
• Proof that you are a direct family member
• The e-mail address of the account used to set up.
For Amazon:
Website address:http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=508510
1) Call customer services on: 0800 496 1081 or 0870 744 9979.
2) Please note that due to its records retention requirements, Amazon cannot remove account information from its system until its business need for it has expired, as it is part of its business transaction records.
For Ebay:
Website address: http://ocsnext.ebay.co.uk/ocs/sr
1) Send a copy of the death certificate along with the deceased member’s username, e-mail address, full name, full address, and contact phone number to https://ocs.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?OCSUploadMemberDocuments&action=signin&deptName=UKBilling.
2) They also need a record of the person who has made the account closure request, so please send a copy of your own driving licence or passport.
3) Once they receive this information, they will close the account and write off any outstanding fees. If there’s currently a balance on the account, you may receive automated payment reminders until the account is closed.
4) Please note: the account can only be closed when the balance is £0.
For Apple:
1) Currently, you cannot get Apple to delete an account, however if you have access to the deceased’s Apple ID and password you can edit the personal information. To do this:
• Follow https://appleid.apple.com
• Click manage your Apple ID
• Enter the deceased’s name and sign in
• Change the name of the account
• Change the address.
2) This will have removed the deceased’s information from all their Apple devices.
3) In effect you will create a new account and have access to anything the deceased downloaded. Therefore, include the personal information of the intended beneficiary, to avoid any problems.
4) Customer services can be contacted on 0844 209 0611 or 0800 107 6285.
Digital legacy services from Flendr
At Flendr, you can preserve the digital legacy of a loved one by creating a page in their memory today.
Flendr allows you to raise money in their memory – whether its collecting donations towards their funeral, a charity or cause close to their heart. You can customize the memorial page and include a photo and personal description. Once set up, you can send to all your family and friends by email and social media and this is a nice way to create an online tribute for someone really close to you.
There are no fees for setting up a page and all payments can be made securely online via Paypal, credit card or bank transfer. There is simply a 2% fee of all funds raised but you can choose the fundraising target and change the amount anytime and also keep the account open for as long as you want. And if you are raising money for charity, you can claim gift aid which can increase donations by 25%.
When people die, they leave a digital legacy behind which is all the data or things they have ever downloaded on their phones and computers including music, photos and games. Known as ‘digital assets,’ when people leave the planet, they could have expensive music collections online, a huge database of family photos or even large sums of money which they can potentially bequeath to family members or friends.
A digital legacy also refers to any online accounts that are open but obviously can no longer used – so one’s digital assets may consist of the following:
-music
-films
-games
-photos
-money e.g Bitcoin, Paypal, Online Banking
-social media accounts e.g facebook, twitter, linkedin
-ecommerce e.g Amazon, Ebay
why is a digital legacy important?
More and more people are keeping their finances, photos and music online– but this is causing a lot stress for relatives to recover once they die. If passwords are not shared or accounts are created without anyone else’s knowledge, there can be huge media collections or sums of money that go unclaimed.
planning your digital legacy
Planning your digital legacy is important because not only should your loved ones be able to enjoy your online collections but also having online bank accounts open or your details automatically saved on Amazon can present a serious fraud risk. (Source: The Law Society)
Therefore, people are encouraged to create a digital legacy letter or log, highlighting all the things they own online and making this available to a loved one.
In fact, the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme Protocol, which recommends completion and maintenance of a Personal Assets Log, including digital assets and consideration of how to ensure that those dealing with the estate will be able to access those assets. It also means that if you have online banking that your executors will be able to close down the accounts and claim the money on behalf of your estate.
Other things you can do include creating joint accounts online with your spouse, whether it’s online banking or sharing an account on facebook and twitter and this will avoid you having to go through the paperwork and any other hassle.
Recovering your digital assets
There are ways you can recover the digital assets of a loved one if they have passed without providing a digital log or letter. Online service providers have started providing teams that specialise in digital legacy and handling digital assets, and they can be contacted in the following ways:
For Gmail:
Website address:https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/2842525?hl=en
1) Provide the following information:
• Your full name
• Your postal and e-mail address
• A copy of your ID or driving licence
• The Gmail address or Google username of the deceased user
• A copy of the death certificate.
2) Google will send an e-mail and you will then need to send the following along with the above:
• The full header of the e-mail
• The entire content of the e-mail.
3) Send all the above by post or fax to:
Google Inc.
Gmail User Support – Decedents’ Accounts
c/o Google Custodian of Records
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
Fax: 650-396-4502
For Facebook:
Website address:https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480
1) Follow the hyperlink, and provide the following information:
• Your full name
• Full name of the deceased’s personal account
• Account e-mail address of the deceased
• Web address to the deceased’s timeline
• Proof that you are a direct family member
• The e-mail address of the account used to set up.
For Amazon:
Website address:http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=508510
1) Call customer services on: 0800 496 1081 or 0870 744 9979.
2) Please note that due to its records retention requirements, Amazon cannot remove account information from its system until its business need for it has expired, as it is part of its business transaction records.
For Ebay:
Website address: http://ocsnext.ebay.co.uk/ocs/sr
1) Send a copy of the death certificate along with the deceased member’s username, e-mail address, full name, full address, and contact phone number to https://ocs.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?OCSUploadMemberDocuments&action=signin&deptName=UKBilling.
2) They also need a record of the person who has made the account closure request, so please send a copy of your own driving licence or passport.
3) Once they receive this information, they will close the account and write off any outstanding fees. If there’s currently a balance on the account, you may receive automated payment reminders until the account is closed.
4) Please note: the account can only be closed when the balance is £0.
For Apple:
1) Currently, you cannot get Apple to delete an account, however if you have access to the deceased’s Apple ID and password you can edit the personal information. To do this:
• Follow https://appleid.apple.com
• Click manage your Apple ID
• Enter the deceased’s name and sign in
• Change the name of the account
• Change the address.
2) This will have removed the deceased’s information from all their Apple devices.
3) In effect you will create a new account and have access to anything the deceased downloaded. Therefore, include the personal information of the intended beneficiary, to avoid any problems.
4) Customer services can be contacted on 0844 209 0611 or 0800 107 6285.
Digital legacy services from Flendr
At Flendr, you can preserve the digital legacy of a loved one by creating a page in their memory today.
Flendr allows you to raise money in their memory – whether its collecting donations towards their funeral, a charity or cause close to their heart. You can customize the memorial page and include a photo and personal description. Once set up, you can send to all your family and friends by email and social media and this is a nice way to create an online tribute for someone really close to you.
There are no fees for setting up a page and all payments can be made securely online via Paypal, credit card or bank transfer. There is simply a 2% fee of all funds raised but you can choose the fundraising target and change the amount anytime and also keep the account open for as long as you want. And if you are raising money for charity, you can claim gift aid which can increase donations by 25%.
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