When a person dies, there's usually a fairly set procedure on how to dispose of his or her tangible property. But that's rarely the case when trying to figure out what to do with a person's digital assets. According to a study by German technology industry association Bitkom, 93 per cent of internet users don't have any guidelines laid down for what should happen to their social network profiles or their personal email folders in case of their death.
Of those, 78 per cent said they had no idea what their options were when it came to planning the burial of their digital selves.
Bitkom recommends putting in writing what should happen with data in the event of death.
If nothing is specifically written out, most jurisdictions allow heirs to take over both the hardware (smartphones, tablets, printers) and all the messages and photos it contains.
They can access these fairly easily on mobile devices. If that outcome is troubling, find someone who you trust to destroy the device without opening it or help with wiping it.
Survivors often have the right to access data stored in a public cloud service too.
Many people who have collected photos or documents would like to know those files will be preserved for future generations. Make sure there are guidelines in place before death to make sure these documents don't get lost and the work that went into creating them isn't wasted.
Consider leaving your social-network log-in codes with a lawyer as trustee.