Google on Wednesday became one of the first
major Internet companies to put control of data after death directly into the
hands of its users.
Technology has changed the way
we view assets, as we now have virtual
assets to protect in addition to our tangible property. Our estates now include
digital assets like online banking and brokerage accounts. Web-based businesses
are increasing and owning property in cyberspace has become a reality. So what
happens to our virtual life when our physical life is over?
What happens to everything on
the cloud when you die?
From your personal information
to Facebook accounts to iTunes collections, so much of it exists online. Until
recently, there have been few solutions to the meticulous record keeping to
keep everything straight, let alone remembered.
Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported in an article titled “Google Lets Users Plan ‘Digital Afterlife’
By Naming Heirs” that Google has become amongst the first and likely
the largest company to offer users a proactive digital-estate planning tool –
the “Inactive Account Manager.”
The important take-a-way is the
importance of the planning. What about your other accounts and bits of data
snaking across the web? What plans have you made to document your virtual life
into the afterlife?
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Reference: The Wall Street
Journal (April 11, 2013) “Google Lets Users Plan ‘Digital Afterlife’
By Naming Heirs”