Digital legacy and assets

CaptainWales

Hi. I, like lots of others, have various digital accounts like facebook, linkedin, amazon,nectar etc

What is the best way to leave access to these after i died? I dont want to write down passwords for obvious reasons but equally i want it to be straightforward for my executor to acccess. Any suggestions gratefully received. 

Emmia

Facebook has an option to allow a trusted friend to make your page a memorial page. 

CaptainWales

Thanks Emmia. Are they able to delete it completely? I don't really fancy a memorial page

Keep_pedalling

CaptainWales said:

Thanks Emmia. Are they able to delete it completely? I don't really fancy a memorial page

 No, but they can request the removal of the page.

https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/what-to-do-when-someone-dies/dealing-with-social-media-accounts-after-death/

p00hsticks

CaptainWales said:

Thanks Emmia. Are they able to delete it completely? I don't really fancy a memorial page

I suggest you have a bit of a think about that one and see what your loved ones would want.

I was looking after my brothers affairs after he died, and got a panicked message from several of his friends a year or two after his death to say that all the Facebook conversations that they had had with him in the months before his death had suddenly disappeared. Luckily I was in time to be able to unarchive the page and turn it into a 'memorial' page. As far as I can see this simply preserves all the existing posts and messages and allows friends to post new messages to his timeline on anniversaries etc.

His friends were very grateful that they could still look over the last Facebook posts they had shared and messaged conversations they had had in the days and months leading up to his death (especially important to us as he could no longer speak so messaged us all a lot). 

Emmia

p00hsticks said:

CaptainWales said:

Thanks Emmia. Are they able to delete it completely? I don't really fancy a memorial page

I suggest you have a bit of a think about that one and see what your loved ones would want.

I was looking after my brothers affairs after he died, and got a panicked message from several of his friends a year or two after his death to say that all the Facebook conversations that they had had with him in the months before his death had suddenly disappeared. Luckily I was in time to be able to unarchive the page and turn it into a 'memorial' page. As far as I can see this simply preserves all the existing posts and messages and allows friends to post new messages to his timeline on anniversaries etc.

His friends were very grateful that they could still look over the last Facebook posts they had shared and messaged conversations they had had in the days and months leading up to his death (especially important to us as he could no longer speak so messaged us all a lot). 

I'd agree - I think this is a bit like funerals, funerals aren't really for the dead, they're really for the living as a more formalised part of the grieving process.

When I'm gone, if people want to look at my memorialised Facebook page to help them, then they can.

bobster2

p00hsticks said:

CaptainWales said:

Thanks Emmia. Are they able to delete it completely? I don't really fancy a memorial page

I suggest you have a bit of a think about that one and see what your loved ones would want.

I was looking after my brothers affairs after he died, and got a panicked message from several of his friends a year or two after his death to say that all the Facebook conversations that they had had with him in the months before his death had suddenly disappeared. Luckily I was in time to be able to unarchive the page and turn it into a 'memorial' page. As far as I can see this simply preserves all the existing posts and messages and allows friends to post new messages to his timeline on anniversaries etc.

His friends were very grateful that they could still look over the last Facebook posts they had shared and messaged conversations they had had in the days and months leading up to his death (especially important to us as he could no longer speak so messaged us all a lot). 

The part in bold seems to me like a very good reason to want a profile deleted!!

Cairnpapple

I stay logged into my most used sites on my husband's computer as well as on my phone, I trust that he'll wrap things up. Up to him whether he wants to do it the official way or just use my login to close things down. Similarly I could access his stuff through his computer and phone.

My sister is organised and she has set me as a Legacy contact on Facebook which means I'd be the one to convert it to a memorial page. 

oldernonethewiser

You could get a hardware encrypted USB drive which you could store all sorts of things on.

One option would be to leave the drive with whoever is holding the will and the code with the executor, who wouldn't be able to get hold of the drive until after your death.

CaptainWales

oldernonethewiser said:

You could get a hardware encrypted USB drive which you could store all sorts of things on.

One option would be to leave the drive with whoever is holding the will and the code with the executor, who wouldn't be able to get hold of the drive until after your death.

That's a good idea (although not sure about the practicalities of updating it and technology moves quickly it could go out of date quickly?). 

I agree that what is left is for the living and not the dead. Personally though, most of my family don't use FB it's more for social contacts than "true" friends and family, so the thought of them posting after I've died doesn't appeal to me one bit. It also feels like if my facebook, nectar account, amazon account is hanging about after I've died, that it's just another loose end for somebody to deal with at some stage. Like what if I have a credit on my amazon account? But that's just me, I appreciate that not everybody feels the same.

tacpot12

Another option is to use a Password Manager to record all your passwords, and have two executors who know half of the master password that unlocks the Password Manager. They have to work in tandem to get access to your records. Your executors should be highly trusted anyway. 

Another option is to write down the master password and leave it in a safe place. Tell the executors where it can be found and hope they remember!