Digital legacy
Some tech companies now have systems in place to make sure your loved ones can access your photos, files and other assets after your death.
Apple:
Introduced in autumn 2022, Apple devices now allow you to nominate a legacy contact.
Once nominated by you, the legacy contact will be given an access key, which they would need to present to Apple - along with your death certificate - in order to gain access to photos, videos, calendar events and other items from your Apple account that you may want preserved. Passwords are excluded from this and will not be released as part of this process.
Click here for more instructions from Apple:
Google has a well-established similar process - the Inactive Accounts Manager.
Again you nominate a person, or people, that you want to have access to your account. You can choose which elements of your digital life in the Google ecosystem you bequeath to them. And if you don't log on to your account for a certain amount of time then they will have access to your digital life.
Google Legacy:
David says: “You can get an access key in lieu of a password. You can print it out with your legal documentation, and then, along with a death certificate, the person you’ve nominated can unlock your digital life.”
Gary says: “Never share your passwords with anyone in life or indeed in death. But what you DO need to do is make sure that people know where to look.”
