Leaving Behind Your Digital Assets - What You Need To Know

    With today’s technology, we often leave as great an impact on the digital world as in the physical. Files saved on a computer, social media accounts; from financial accounts to computer games. All of these things, and more, are digital assets we leave behind. What is to become of those assets when you pass?

    Many people have a variety of online accounts and profiles. You may want to establish a way for your online accounts to be deleted or memorialized when you die. You can leave these passwords and instructions with the executor of your Will. There is only one issue with this. Some websites do have Terms of Service Agreements that prohibit the sharing of your password; but many people do it anyway. Odds are, you won’t be persecuted for going onto your deceased family member’s profile upon. But it can be a good idea to leave an executor a password and instructions for your accounts; so that they can show that you approved of their usage.

    Social media websites play an important role in the lives of people of all ages. But what happens when a user dies? Facebook has created a new setting called the “Legacy Contact” for this reason. A Legacy Contact is a person, like a close family member, that is chosen by you. In the event of your passing; your Legacy Contact can tell Facebook that you have died. They will gain minor access, in order to post a memorial message, accept friend requests on your behalf, and even change your profile picture. But that is the only level of access that they gain. This avoids legal issues with Facebook’s Terms of Service Agreement.

    For almost 50 years, Matthew Funeral Home has been serving the Staten Island community. We can help with almost every aspect of your loved one’s memorial service. Our family is here to serve yours, every step of the way.