Digital estate: what is it and why is it important?

A digital estate is what a person leaves behind in digital form after their death. This includes social media channels, photos, or access to accounts.

Digital estate: the most important info

Digital estate refers to all the digital data a person created on the Internet during their lifetime and left behind after their death.

• This can include emails, online accounts, social media profiles, photos, videos, music and video files, and other digital content. The digital estate may be important for survivors to access important information or to secure and manage digital content.

• However, digital estates can be difficult to manage because they are often stored on multiple platforms and in multiple formats. There can be specific legal and technical challenges involved.

• A poorly managed digital estate can have legal consequences. For example, not being able to access important accounts or information can lead to financial loss or other problems.

• Therefore, it is important to carefully plan and organize the digital estate to meet the needs of survivors and avoid undesirable consequences.

Digital legacy: How to take precautions

There are some steps you can take to manage your digital estate well. But for this, you should also pay attention to the regular updating of the documents, that is, check the documents, add new accounts and add changed passwords.

• Create a list of all digital accounts and assets you own, including usernames and passwords. It’s best to use an encrypted document or password manager for this to ensure this information is stored securely.

• Determine what you want to happen to your digital assets after you die. Do you want your social media profiles to be deleted or should they continue to be taken care of? Do you want your emails and online accounts deleted or should they remain accessible to your survivors

• Make sure your survivors have access to your digital accounts and information. One way to do this is to keep usernames and passwords in a safe place. Another way is to hire a trusted party to manage your digital estate.

• Plan ahead in case you pass away suddenly. Make sure a family member or attorney has access to your digital estate to handle important matters such as closing accounts or managing digital assets.