What is a digital legacy?
What happens to your online files and accounts after you die? Find out how a digital legacy can help.
When a person dies, they often leave instructions on what should be done with their property, possessions and money. But more and more people are also creating digital legacies.
A digital legacy leaves instructions for what should be done with a person's online accounts, photos, videos and other online content.
Digital legacies are relatively new. This means many people are unsure how to create them and how to carry them out when a person dies. We hope this article helps you understand the issues involved.
What does a digital legacy include?
A person's will covers everything they own. A digital legacy covers everything they have online.
This includes social media profiles, online conversations, photos, videos, streaming service accounts, websites, blogs, online banking and other accounts.
When you write a digital legacy, you leave instructions on how these accounts should be dealt with. They can be deleted or left up. In some cases, they can be "memorialised" (left online as a way of remembering someone).
Many people have lots of digital assets (online accounts and files). But not many share their wishes on what should happen to them when they die. This can make it difficult for family, friends or loved ones to know what to do.
How do you plan a digital legacy?
The biggest part of a digital legacy is listing your accounts and saying what you want to happen to them. This is something that can be changed as you open or close accounts.
You might want to give a person you trust access to one or more of your devices – a computer, mobile, tablet or other smart device.
You might also want to make sure your photos and videos are backed up in the cloud or on an external hard drive. If you don't, they could be lost. In the case of photos, you can also print copies to make sure they can be accessed after you die.
Is a digital legacy part of a will?
Your will is a legal document. It tells the executor (the person who handles your estate) what should be done with your money, belongings and property when you die.
You can include instructions in your will about your digital assets. Alternatively, you can write a separate document called a "digital will" or "social media will".
This document would include details of all your online accounts and what you want to happen to them.
It would list your usernames and email addresses – but not your passwords. This is because most online platforms don't allow account access to be transferred when someone dies. Instead, they have their own processes for managing or deleting accounts.
As well as making this list, you should appoint a digital executor.
What is a digital executor?
A digital executor is the person you choose to handle your digital legacy. Ideally, it should be someone who knows about tech. It's usually one of the executors of your will.
You may want to tell the person in advance that you've chosen them as your digital executor. This gives you a chance to discuss your digital legacy with them. It also gives them a chance to mentally prepare.
What happens to photos, videos and files after you die?
If you've backed up your photos, videos and files, they can be accessed by your digital executor after your death.
If they're on an external hard drive, your digital executor can access it with your permission. You can also tell them the password if you have one.
If, however, your photos, videos and files are stored in an online cloud, your digital executor will need to contact the cloud provider. They will need to provide proof of death and prove their legal right to access the account.
What can you do with social media accounts?
Facebook and Instagram give you three options. First, you can delete the account. Secondly, you can leave it as it is. Thirdly, you can memorialise it. This turns the account into a public wall where friends and family can share memories.
To memorialise an account, you need to leave instructions in your settings. We've written about this in more detail in our guide to
making a memorial Facebook page.
At the time of writing, there's no memorialisation option on X (formerly Twitter). However, the account can be deleted by a digital executor.
What about emails?
Access to email accounts works the same as access to cloud accounts. You need to go through the email provider. Most providers will delete email accounts after a fixed time.
Google lets you plan a digital legacy. You tell Google how long the account should be inactive before it's deleted. You can also give different contacts access to different parts of your Google account.
What about money stored online?
A digital legacy can include instructions about money stored online. This can include online banking, digital gift cards and cryptocurrency.
As with any other account, your digital executor should contact the provider and tell them your wishes.
Is a digital legacy legally binding?
A will, if valid, is a legally binding document. This means its wishes need to be acted on by law. If your will includes instructions about your digital legacy, those instructions are legally binding.
If, however, your digital legacy is stored in a separate document, it's not legally binding.
What are the benefits of a digital legacy?
The main benefit of a digital legacy is that it makes sure your online accounts and files are handled properly after you die.
On top of this, a digital legacy simplifies the task of handling those accounts and files for friends and family members.
Finally, it can make sure that your accounts aren't vulnerable to hackers after you die.
What is an online memorial?
An online memorial is a way of preserving someone's legacy online. It can be a website that includes photos, videos and memories from friends, family and colleagues.
At Treasured Moments, we provide a bespoke online memorial service that does just that. Interested? Take a look at our
memorial website examples to see what we can do – or feel free to
get in touch with our friendly team. We're always happy to answer questions.
*Treasured Moments tribute pages are designed to remain online in perpetuity. However, in certain circumstances, such as cessation of business and takedown requests, this may not be possible.
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