Your Digital Legacy — What happens to online accounts?

^{This blog is for marketing purposes only and does not constitute advice.}

From social media profiles and email accounts to cloud storage and online subscriptions, much of our day-to-day lives now exists online. Over the years, we can build up a significant digital footprint, but what happens to all of those accounts when we die? While it may not be something we often think about, making a plan for your digital legacy can make it easier for the people close to you to manage your online presence and important information in the future.

Key Takeaways

• Make a secure list of your important online accounts.
• Decide which accounts should be memorialised, closed or preserved.
• Back up photographs, documents and other meaningful files.
• Review the legacy and trusted-contact settings available on the platforms you use.
• Avoid leaving passwords in an unsecured document.
• Keep a record of paid subscriptions that may need to be cancelled.
• Review your digital legacy plans occasionally as your accounts change.

What is a digital legacy?

Your digital legacy is the collection of digital information, accounts and assets you leave behind. This could include social media profiles, email accounts, photographs stored online, cloud storage, websites, subscriptions and other online services you use.

Not every digital account needs to be treated in the same way. Some may contain photographs or memories you would like your family to keep, while others may simply need to be closed. Thinking about what you have and what you would like to happen to it is a useful first step.

What Happens to Your Social Media Accounts?

What happens to a social media account after someone dies depends on the platform. Some services allow an account to be memorialised, while others provide a process through which an authorised person or family member can request that it be removed.

Certain platforms also allow you to make decisions in advance. Facebook, for example, allows users to appoint a legacy contact to look after aspects of a memorialised profile, while Apple and Google offer features that can help users decide how certain account information should be handled or accessed after their death.

Because these options and policies can change, it's worth checking the settings and guidance provided by the individual platforms you use rather than assuming your family will automatically be given access.

Don't forget about your email accounts

Your email account can be particularly important because it is often connected to many of your other online services. Shopping accounts, streaming subscriptions, social media profiles and other services may all use the same email address for communications or account recovery.

However, this doesn't mean someone else will automatically be entitled to log into your email after your death. Providers have their own procedures for dealing with the account of someone who has died, and access may be restricted for privacy and security reasons.

Keeping a record of the email services you use can at least help the person dealing with your affairs identify which providers may need to be contacted.

Think about your photos and important files

For many of us, some of our most important photographs and videos are no longer kept in physical albums. Instead, they may be stored on a phone, computer or cloud storage service.

Consider whether there are photographs, documents or other files you would want your family to be able to keep. Regularly backing up important files and understanding the legacy or account recovery options offered by your chosen service can help reduce the risk of meaningful digital memories becoming inaccessible.

Make a list of your digital accounts

You probably have more online accounts than you realise. Email, social media and streaming services may immediately come to mind, but there could also be shopping accounts, memberships, utility accounts, loyalty programmes and other services you've signed up for over the years.

Creating an inventory of important accounts can provide a useful starting point for managing your digital legacy. You don't necessarily need to include passwords. Instead, you could record which services you use and any instructions about what you would like to happen to them.

Remember to keep any information about your accounts somewhere secure and review it occasionally as your online activity changes.

Be careful about sharing passwords

Leaving a document containing every username and password might seem like the easiest solution, but it can create security risks. Account access is also governed by the terms and procedures of individual service providers, so simply having someone's password doesn't necessarily mean another person is authorised to access their account.

A password manager may provide options for securely managing or sharing information, while some online platforms offer their own legacy or trusted-contact features. Whichever approach you choose, keeping sensitive information secure should remain a priority.

What about paid subscriptions?

Digital subscriptions can be easy to overlook, particularly when payments are collected automatically. Streaming services, apps, cloud storage, software and other memberships may continue to have active subscriptions until they are cancelled, or the associated payment method is no longer available.

Keeping a record of recurring subscriptions can make it easier for the person dealing with your affairs to identify services that may need attention. It can also be useful for your own day-to-day finances, helping you keep track of subscriptions you're still paying for but may no longer use.

Include your digital life in your future planning

Planning your digital legacy doesn't have to mean creating complicated instructions for every account you've ever opened. Start with the things that matter most, such as important photographs and files, your main email account and the social media profiles you regularly use.

You can also consider leaving clear instructions about what you would like to happen to important digital accounts as part of your wider estate planning. For matters involving valuable digital assets or your will, professional legal advice can help you understand the appropriate way to deal with them.

A little planning can make things easier

Our digital lives can hold everything from everyday information to years of photographs, conversations and memories. Taking some time to organise important accounts and understand the options available can help ensure those parts of your life are handled in the way you would prefer.

You don't need to organise everything at once. Making a list of your key accounts, backing up important files and reviewing the legacy settings available on the services you use are simple places to start. As our lives become increasingly digital, it's worth giving our online footprint the same consideration as the other things we leave behind.

Remember that An Post Insurance funeral insurance helps you prepare for the future, while you can get on with enjoying the present. Get a Funeral Insurance quote online now.

^{An Post Insurance is a tied agent of New Ireland Assurance Company plc for life assurance business. Life assurance policies are underwritten and provided by New Ireland Assurance Company plc. A Government levy (currently 1%) applies to all premiums paid. The total premiums paid over the term of the policy may exceed the death benefit.}