Bang! You're dead. Who gets your email, iTunes and Facebook?

Two things in life are certain: death and taxes. Amazon and other international corporations have found ways* around the latter, but no one can avoid the former. In the age of Facebook and Google accounts, and with the existence of services such as iTunes where people invest considerable sums in entirely virtual goods, the …

[Anonymous Coward]

Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

The best advice regarding this kind of thing I've heard is that you should document your logins / passwords / secret questions & answers etc everything needed to get into an account into a hardbacked notebook.

Write up your Will and have the notebook attached as part of the Will left with your lawyers. upon your death, no need for any tech company to know you are dead, your relatives will have full access to everything via that nice lil book enclosed with your Will.

Assuming you can trust your lawyers, the Will isnt destroyed by accident along the way or lost/misplaced etc etc etc but so far lawyers and the law seems to still have some respect for Wills & the contents therof and most tend to survive from creation to the reading of them.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

"so far lawyers and the law seems to still have some respect for Wills & the contents therof"

That's not surprising given that they make money from them.

OTOH they are likely to point out that there is good reason for the company to be told about the death; the deceased would have been one party to whatever contracts were in place so the other party would, I've thought, have reasonable expectations of being informed as part of the executors' duties.

But surely the executors should have access to the account in order to clear up the deceased's affairs. Whilst the T&Cs may make it clear that music "bought" on iTunes is only leased other files such as those originated by the deceased and correspondence received are part of the estate. They may possibly of value as IP in themselves but they may also contain information which the executors need to finalize the deceased's estate.

[NogginTheNog]

Re: Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

In a world where passwords need to be updated relatively frequently though, how feasible is this??

A better option might be to use KeePass or similar, and to document the Master Passphrase for that in/with the will.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

A better option might be to use KeePass or similar, and to document the Master Passphrase for that in/with the will.

Which is exactly what I have done - in a sealed envelope with my will. And just to avoid any possibility of fraud, you also need a Yubikey to get into the password safe account, which I always carry with me,

[Jonathan Richards 1]

Yubikey

There'd better be a copy of that Yubikey; there are lots of ways of dying that don't preserve your pocket contents. :-(

Just sayin'

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

Attaching a paper file to the will mean updating on a weekly basis for many people and that is both expensive and unrealistic.

I have a encrypted file on my computer which all those who need to (wife, brothers and sisters and brothers in law) get as an email copy of every time it is updated.

They know the encryption key and that every password has three errors - and how to correct them so even if someone broke the key they still will not be able to use the passwords

[Mage]

Re: Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

Yes, don't "die". Make sure your executor or someone will get a notebook with every online detail. They then can be you for as long as needed ...

Use your real identity* only when absolutely legally required to**. Note T&C claiming you have to use a real name etc may not be legally enforceable, esp. in UK where you can effectively legally change your name to anything as long as fraud isn't involved.

Any email relies on an ISP account or Hosting etc, the accounts should be arranged to be paid for by someone as long as needed.

(* Not to be confused with ability to have an online visible name different from signup name)

(**Possibly only if the online Account needs a Credit Card.)

[HOW many?]

Re: Attach account details to your Will in dead tree format

Stuff the Ts&Cs. The Human Rights act states we have a right to privacy (well OK a private life) and as that has the effect of statute any Ts&Cs which seek to negate that are an unlawful contract and automatically unenforcable.

Mind you, I suppose they can still close your account, but then, they can do that anyway.

[chivo243]

Apple's view

Purchase is a bad term, however Apple thinks you are purchasing the rights to use that file, not the file itself. Fucking lawyers anyway... Glad I have never purchased any music from iTunes

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Apple's view

That's always been the case. You buy a copy of it with a licence to use it. You are not the copyright owner.

[DN4]

Re: Apple's view

> You are not the copyright owner.

What the hell does any of this to do with the copyright owner?

When I buy a dead-tree book I own it. No problem including it in my Will. We only want the same for the non-dead-tree stuff.

[NogginTheNog]

Re: Apple's view

When I buy a dead-tree book I own it.

You own the physical book, but not the copyright on the content within it. You can read it, you can let others read it, but you can't copy it or republish it in any way. You can play a CD for personal use, but you can't copy it for your mates or broadcast it in public.

Since electronic content doesn't really have any physical form then when you think about it the rights you get are actually not that dissimilar to the ones for content on physical media.

[NumptyScrub]

Re: Apple's view

You own the physical book, but not the copyright on the content within it. You can read it, you can let others read it, but you can't copy it or republish it in any way. You can play a CD for personal use, but you can't copy it for your mates or broadcast it in public.

You also have the right, in the UK and US at least, to reassign your rights to the content to another person, aka reselling or gifting the book or CD, even as part of an estate upon death.

If I can bequeath my stack of CDs to a loved one upon death, which were only ever my right to listen to the content therein, then how does that differ from bequeathing my iTunes account (and the rights to listen to the media therein)?

[Thorne]

Re: Apple's view

"If I can bequeath my stack of CDs to a loved one upon death, which were only ever my right to listen to the content therein, then how does that differ from bequeathing my iTunes account (and the rights to listen to the media therein)?"

I can't bequeath my iTunes accounts and songs to my next of kin but I can bequeath my NAS drive full of pirated music and movies to them.

Damn lucky I don't have an iTunes account then isn't it?

[dan1980]

Re: Apple's view

"Since electronic content doesn't really have any physical form then when you think about it the rights you get are actually not that dissimilar to the ones for content on physical media."

It's amazing - the right to exploit a copyrighted work can be passed down through generations when someone is making money off a fucking cartoon mouse but - surprise - the 'right' we purchased to watch a video of that mouse can't be passed on to our next of kin.

Fucking hypocrites.

[Daniel B.]

Re: Apple's view

It's amazing - the right to exploit a copyrighted work can be passed down through generations when someone is making money off a fucking cartoon mouse but - surprise - the 'right' we purchased to watch a video of that mouse can't be passed on to our next of kin.

Even more amazing that copyright is, by definition of the U.S. Constitution at least, a limited term thing that for some reason is now "lifetime + X years". Lifetime is for all intents and purposes "unlimited" as far as the original author goes, and should be declared unconstitutional in the US at the very least.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Apple's view

It's amazing - the right to exploit a copyrighted work can be passed down through generations when someone is making money off a fucking cartoon mouse but - surprise - the 'right' we purchased to watch a video of that mouse can't be passed on to our next of kin.

Hey, if cartoon pornography floats your boat that's your personal choice.

[Thorne]

Re: Apple's view

"Hey, if cartoon pornography floats your boat that's your personal choice."

Personally I don't want to pass on my cartoon porn collection to my next of kin. Hopefully they won't ever open that Pandora's box........

[Handy Plough]

Re: Apple's view

You own the paper it's printed on, or in simpler terms, the delivery mechanism. I see what you are trying to say; digital formats are ephemeral, dead tree isn't. Well, you just keep your books away from moisture and/or fire, m'kay...

[Anonymous Blowhard]

Re: Apple's view

"digital formats are ephemeral, dead tree isn't"

See icon >

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Apple's view

it burns well though

[Don Dumb]

Re: Apple's view

And by the logic of the copyright holders, the companies themselves are STEALING from the consumer, it's copyright theft!

As they have effectively taken* the license from the legal owner of the license (the inheritor of the estate) from using or taking possession of the license.

In fact, this is more stealing than copyright infringement as the owner actually has lost access to the item of value.

* - Disclaimer - this is the logic of the MPAA, RIAA, etc; Not neccessarily mine.

[Valeyard]

reminds me

of the bruce willis itunes court case where he wanted to leave his itunes account to his kids when he dies, and they said he only had a "license" on the files and didn't own them or something so the account would be deleted

so there in precedent-following USA that's their policy apparently

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: reminds me

It's true. Buy a car and you own it, but you don't own the designs to the car.

You're buying a copy of an item, not the rights to make it, copy it etc.

[Velv]

Re: reminds me

@AC

Nobody is suggesting you own the copyright or the design. If you buy a physical CD you buy a license to listen to the music and the physical media. Part of the license permits you to transfer the media and content license to someone else in its entirety. i.e. Second hand CDs have value.

Why should it be any different for online content you've paid for? Let's face it, most of it costs the same either on physical media or in digital format, so the music industry cannot argue they are losing out. Digital presents a challenge in preventing illegal copying, but the principle still stands on ownership of an asset. Or are we suggesting that music should self destruct on CDs when the original purchaser dies?

[dan1980]

Re: reminds me

"Digital presents a challenge in preventing illegal copying, but the principle still stands on ownership of an asset. Or are we suggesting that music should self destruct on CDs when the original purchaser dies?"

The problem is that the massive influence that 'big content' has over our politicians has led to them believing that protecting against 'copyright theft' is more important than protecting consumer/user rights.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: reminds me

>You're buying a copy of an item, not the rights to make it, copy it etc.

So you can't leave your house to your kids because the architect owns the copyright to the design ?

[Don Dumb]

Re: reminds me

@AC - "It's true. Buy a car and you own it, but you don't own the designs to the car. You're buying a copy of an item, not the rights to make it, copy it etc."

Yes of course dumbass, because when I die, Ford take my car away. Right?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: reminds me

NO, but I bet they would like to destroy it

[Cynic_999]

Re: reminds me

You can certainly bequeath your car to your children - but not your driving licence!

[Mike Bell]

Re: reminds me

@Valeyard

Except it isn't true.

Much though I wish it were.

[Dan 55]

Tech companies need to grow up

Only lately have they thought about doing family accounts, probably coinciding about the same time as the majority of their employees have started families themselves. His Jobsness is no longer with us so it doesn't seem like they've got much excuse for not having procedures when their account holders shuffle off this mortal coil.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Tech companies need to grow up

They have procedures, all the stuff you bought goes back to them and your kids can buy it all again.

[Don Dumb]

Re: Tech companies need to grow up

@Yet Another Anonymous Coward - "They have procedures, all the stuff you bought goes back to them and your kids can buy it all again."

I've said it elsewhere but that is stealing, far worse than the copyright infringement they keep preaching to us about.

[Amorous Cowherder]

I couldn't care less to be quite blunt, others in my immediate family will no doubt beg to differ. I have a will to ensure anything of any value is passed on but once I'm gone, I'm worm food and none of this stuff I've done or saved will mean anything to me and probably not to anyone else. I have to date 2,500 landscape photos I've shot, some have won international competitions, some are earning me license fees as I write, it would be a shame to lose all that hard work but that's my family's problem once I'm gone. I have asked my family what they want to do with me and my stuff, they're welcome to do whatever the wish with my physical remains and my "digital remains", they've yet to decide. Sure it would be shame to just vanish in the puff of an "rm" command but that's life, or death! I was brought up to accept that death is as natural as birth, simply a natural part of life. I have to go some day to make room for others.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

But what if the cloud software platform you used to edit/store your photos made that decision for you and deleted them all?

[Don Dumb]

How confident are you about that will?

@Amorous Cowherder - "I have a will to ensure anything of any value is passed on"

Except, that's the point. If some of that value is in cloud or third party hosting, you haven't ensured that the things of value are being passed on because it would seem so far that the will is not effective at forcing the hosting company to release the things to your intended recipients. Even worse, if you have an electronic device of value like an iPad or iPhone, it would seem that Apple is happy to render these useless if you can't remove the deceased's iCloud account that secures it (as the story reflects)

Although this is only so far at least, I can't help thinking that this hasn't really been properly tested in UK or EU courts. While the US may have set some precedence that favours the business over the individual, I would like to think that the ownership rights of the individual will be protected better this side of the Atlantic.

In my opinion, if one owns something (a phone or a license to a music track) then the value of that thing shouldn't be eroded by a third party simply because the owner dies. Especially if the deceased has explicitly transferred ownership of the thing, on their death, to someone in a legally binding document (such as a will), it shouldn't be legally possible for Apple or Microsoft to change the value of those things.

[Martin-73]

Re: How confident are you about that will?

With respect to your last paragraph, that might be a way of heading apple off legally in the UK at least. Refusing to hand over information allowing the device to be used normally could constitute criminal damage to the device

[Don Dumb]

Re: How confident are you about that will?

@Martin-73 - "Refusing to hand over information allowing the device to be used normally could constitute criminal damage to the device"

Agreed. That is why I don't think this has been properly tested in the courts. My hope is that my opinion about what should be possible for a company can do in the event of death of someone who owns that company's product is broadly reflected in law but just hasn't been enforced yet.

In truth the number of elderly tech owners is probably low, owver the next decade the number of people dying who do have significant tech assets will increase to the point that this gets a proper fight.

Basically it just needs a Tory to die - they don't like missing out on inheritances.

[Doctor Syntax]

Nice subtitle.

[Nick Kew]

FWIW, a startup recently ran a crowdfunding campaign to address precisely the problem of the "digital legacy" of an individual. I forget the name, and I don't even recollect whether they were successful, but someone out there is working on it.

[Buzzword]

Recycling user names?

Maybe you're the original [e-mail] or a [e-mail] or your Twitter account is just @1. How long do the companies wait before recycling those names? Do their heirs get the right to sell them, like personalised number plates?

[Anonymous Coward]

Solve this the same way companies do

You register the parent iTunes account (which contains the purchases) under a body corporate - a company, partnership or similar legal entity which lives on and shifts control through the family and inheritance. Each person uses their own iCloud account for personal data but the purchases go through the parent.

It is the same way that companies like apple manage their affairs - it seems only reassonable to implement from our side.

[Mage]

Re: Solve this the same way companies do

A non-profit Trust or Foundation...

I must investigate ...

Of course if the Foundation decides to keep your blogs running, and their designated writer really feels a connection to you it brings a new dimension to a Ghost Writer producing content for a Blog.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Solve this the same way companies do

"it brings a new dimension to a Ghost Writer producing content for a Blog."

Or do it yourself using GhostBSD.

Mine's the shroud.

[frank ly]

Re: Solve this the same way companies do

A nice idea but Apple, etc. probably have T&Cs which block that, or soon will do. As has been suggested, just pass on the account details in your will, or even before you die if you want to make sure your favourite heir gets access to your digital remains.

[P. Lee]

Re: Solve this the same way companies do

>A nice idea but Apple, etc. probably have T&Cs which block that,

I wonder if that's possible? Doesn't a corporation "have all the rights of a natural person"?

Copy the MP3's off disk (you're not using just a hobbled phone are you?) or better, buy the CD.

[NoOneSpecific]

Bang! You're dead.

Bang! You're dead.

... and suddenly I don't care any more.

[Warm Braw]

Passing comment...

What's with this "when a user passes" and "proof of passing" spiritualese?

When you're dead, you may be "past" but you've not "passed" anywhere. Except, perhaps, once, horizontally through an incinerator. Or maybe twice if your relatives want to make absolutely sure.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Passing comment...

Passing as changing the state of being alive (twitching and all that) to the non-state of non-being. Changing format, so to speak, from the 1 to 0.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Passing comment...

> Or maybe twice if your relatives want to make absolutely sure.

Where does one send the nominations for comment of the week? Sublime. :-)

[heyrick]

Already done this.

A little notebook with passwords and brief instructions of how to delete content and whether or not deletion of the account is feasible. I don't have anything worth preserving that isn't also kept on USB harddisc backups, so there's no point wasting time recovering stuff.

As for the Ts&Cs and whether or not they permit this sort of thing...the agreement was with me. I'll be dead. Good luck suing a corpse.

[Darryl]

"Most tech firms running online services have remarkably little time for the dying or deceased."

Of course not. You've ceased to become a revenue stream for them. You're not going to be buying any more songs from iTunes and you're not going to be looking at any more ads on Facebook.

[Stoneshop]

Re: "Most tech firms running online services have remarkably little time for the dying or deceased."

and you're not going to be looking at any more ads on Facebook.

No need to die for that; just install Adblock

[Boris the Cockroach]

Having

just had to deal with lawyers and wills and such, perhaps an easy solution to those "you cant access anything if you're dead" type companies is to include your account name and password (or where on your PC such things can be found) then instruct the executers of your will to empty said account of personal and valuable stuff, then tell said web company that the account is to be de-activated because the holder is dead.

PS dunno if the iTunes/apple thing holds up in court here because it would count as part of the estate.

[Gannettt]

What about what the companies do with your data after you die? You can pass your login details to your heirs, have them go online and delete the accounts, but will the companies hold on to a copy, like most people suspect they do, for data mining (to help build advertiser-friendly profiles, demographic data etc)? In short, do the companies really delete the data, or is it buried somewhere in their data centres?

[Vociferous]

I won't care: I'll be dead.

† as title †

[Mick Russom]

From grave stones to facebook pages

From grave stones to Facebook pages the only thing you leave behind ultimately is if your DNA lives on and your legacy, your scions, your lineage, your seed is able to live on and the best outcome would be to live better than you. All else turns to dust. The wheel in the sky keeps on turning. Journey to Infinity man

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: From grave stones to facebook pages

Smoke weed err'day.

[dan1980]

Re: From grave stones to facebook pages

No one want more Dans running around. I'll pass.

Just the dust for me, thanks.

[J.G.Harston]

Even more reason not to trust stuff to "the cloud" but keep it locally on a physical storage medium that you can physically hold in your hand.

[dan1980]

"iTunes zealots might have invested in libraries stretching to tens of thousands of titles – is that part of the deceased person’s estate? Not as far as some tech firms are concerned."

Once again showing the hypocrisy involved in digital media. We're told that it's the same as physical media when you 'steal' it but entirely different when it might benefit you (or you next of kin).

[Anonymous Coward]

And his last words were...

...pas5w0rd!

[Jediben]

Re: And his last words were...

R05e8ud?

[John Tserkezis]

Skype

Thought I'd mention Skype since this issue had already come up when I was looking for ways to deactivate a Skype account.

Brief answer is, you can't. Skype has no methods to deal with user deaths, and as far as I could tell, it's handled *entirely* manually, that is, a human has to get in contact with some other human at Skype.com, put in the request, and just hope it works.

However, as already stated here, if the user has the foresight to give their passwords to trusted friend/next of kin/lawyer handling estate etc howevever, then they can trash the account itself leaving only non-descript manditory information, change passwords once again, destroy anything you've done in the meantime and just forget about it. You will need to delete any Skype local profile files sitting on any and all computers, otherwise that information will magically go back on again *if* anyone happens to log on again - this is the reason for the last password change.

Skype can worry about keeping names on their countless cloud servers themselves - that's their problem now.

[MacroRodent]

wiping iThings

Apple declined to wipe the device, citing security concerns.

At least an iPad can be reset by the user, wiping (or at least making very hard to access) any old contents. I had the occasion to exercise this, when my son set a passcode to his iPad and then forgot it. After several guesses the iPad locked itself irrevocably. The reset procedure did require buying a USB connection cable (expensive Apple-specific, of course), installing iTunes to a laptop, and then following instructions from a web site, so it might be beyond nontechnical grieving relatives.

[Don Dumb]

Re: wiping iThings

@MacroRodent - "At least an iPad can be reset by the user, wiping (or at least making very hard to access) any old contents."

It's worse for an iPhone (and possibly a iPad with cellular), as there is a security method which links the owner's Apple/iCloud account to the device. As I am recycling a couple of iPhones at the moment I've had to wrestle with this.

Basically the association between iCloud account and device is used to locate the device when it is lost (the 'Where my iPhone?' facility) and this also prevents anyone from wiping and putting their account on the device. Even a factory reset will still keep the iCloud account associated and prevent other accounts from being loaded, you have to manually remove the account (either through an online facility or on the phone itself, with the iCloud password as verification of course). This is all helpful to make the phone more secure, and not valuable when stolen, however it also means the phone is not valuable when passed on without the owner's input (such as in death).

Thus to pass on an iPhone when dead, the iCloud account of the deceased will be needed to remove the deceased's iCloud account from the phone, if you don't have that it would seem Apple are not willing to help (rendering the iPhone effectively useless).

[Planned Departure]

Re: wiping iThings

It's in their benefit to not be helpful... One less iPhone in the market is one more opportunity for them to sell..

[Don Dumb]

Re: wiping iThings

@Planned Departure - "It's in their benefit to not be helpful... One less iPhone in the market is one more opportunity for them to sell."

I don't doubt that, similarly it's in a car manufacturer's interests to have your car cease to work, exactly the day after the warranty expires - it's an opportunity to sell another car!

But the more important question is whether it is legal for a company to effectively damage beyond repair things you own. I suggest that it would not be legal and quite possibly criminal.

[Sequin]

I hate the euphemism "passing" when used in connection with death. You have died, croaked, ceased to be etc - you have passed nothing!

[Doogs]

Well, technically, as your sphincters relax...

[Anonymous Coward]

In the event of my death

My brother is under strict instructions to clear my search history and then DELETE EVERYTHING.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: In the event of my death

why bother, and why would he bother? Unless you mean delete the Internet, which might be a good thing if he could manage it.

Dead means dead, who cares what the carrion eaters you leave behind do with your stuff - you will not, of that I am sure. - unless St peter (or equivalent) wants to check up on you

[Lamont Cranston]

Re: why bother

"Bad news: your uncle has died. But, cheer up, he's left you his laptop..."

Aw, that was sweet of him. *fires up laptop, opens browser, is mentally scarred for life*

I think that's why.

[NumptyScrub]

Re: why bother

My brother is under strict instructions to set the homepage on all of my kit to a script that randomly loads Goatse, Lemonparty, Tubgirl, 2girls1cup, or 1man1jar*

I want my legacy to continue after my death ^^;

* None of these terms should ever be googled. If you intend to google them anyway, ensure you have adequate stocks of mind bleach prior to doing so.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: In the event of my death

> Dead means dead, who cares what the carrion eaters you leave behind do with your stuff

Family and friends tend to care, which is why if someone croaked at a former job of mine we would remove all evidence we could find of any indiscretions the now ex-colleague might have committed.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: In the event of my death

> My brother is under strict instructions to clear my search history and then DELETE EVERYTHING.

That before or after you blow yourself up? :-)

[Ellis Birt 1]

When you buy a book, CD, DVD, car etc, you also buy a transferable licence to use that product, whether implied or more formally written.

In these days of ephemeral media, many licences are sold as non-transferable. This may well be unenforceable in the EU [Court of Justice of the European Union in the case of UsedSoft GmbH v. Oracle International Corp. (3 July 2012).] As for providing the service to allow the media to be downloaded, as the principle of exhaustion does not apply to a service agreement.

So, the music on your iPad, iPhone, pc, ... can be left to one person (per album/track as bought), but if the devices are shared out, there should eventually be just one copy. If a company used DRM to link media to your account, meaning that the media became unplayable on your demise, that would probably fall foul of EU law.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out in the long run. One thing for sure, IT companies and lawyers will make a lot of money before it is sorted.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Perfectly legal avoidance techniques, El Reg is obliged to point out"

However, the relevant branch of the EU is perfectly legally allowed to investigate to find out if that actually is the case. Just because a scheme has been devised by a Big 4 accountant, does not thereby make it legal. So I'm not sure that El Reg is obligated to point anything out. Just refrain from calling it illegal until, of course, a judge says so first.

[chivo243]

as far as my e-mail when I'm dead

may it suffer bit rot! We recently migrated to another mail system, and I opted out, what do I need mail from 8 years ago for? Just to prove I sent or received a message? I have lots of jokes and funny stuff, but who will want to read it?

[9Rune5]

Re: as far as my e-mail when I'm dead

Email isn't just email anymore.

My gmail account contains a bunch of family pictures plus private documents that I might need to access when on the road. In the future I plan to store copies of receipts there as well.

[Anonymous Coward]

Dead man's Flickr

I wondered if it was worth dumping all those "well taken but not very interesting yet" photo's into a Flickr account and setting it to "attribution open licence on death".

Snaps that show the local area or people that may in fifty years time be of interest. As storage has some cost maybe if a DMF had not been twitched for a few years it could go the way of all ithings, but if people access or link to the images it gets protected from the grim wiper.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Dead man's Flickr

> I wondered if it was worth dumping all those "well taken but not very interesting yet" photo's into a Flickr account and setting it to "attribution open licence on death".

Are there any clauses requiring the death to be natural? Else, I would stay well clear of any Wikipedists who might be wanting to illustrate their articles.

[Wzrd1]

Well, my wife and daughters know my passwords

That came in handy in case I wasn't about to respond to an important e-mail and for the occasional file I may need from my computer and I was far away.

I also promised them to not tell my service providers when I pop off, so that they can access my accounts with ease.

That all said, I do believe that there will be a fine legal war between Google and Facebook upon my demise, for my data that they insist is theirs. ;)

More seriously, I imap my mail, so I then keep a copy on my local computer and back it up on a regular basis. I don't store important files online, they stay on my encrypted RAID arrays at home.

So, the worst that can happen if I pop off unexpectedly and prematurely is the vital signs failsafe monitor releases the laser sharks.