Digital assets after death: Managing risks to your loved one’s digital estate

Can you imagine all of the things you’ll leave behind when your time is finally up? Heirlooms? Property? Other ‘tangibles’? Now just have a think about all of the digital assets you’re likely to leave for loved ones to manage. Email accounts, shared photos, passwords, playlists, social media profiles and smart devices. The difference is that these may be completely inaccessible once you’re gone, complicating what is already a traumatic process for friends and family. Worse, your digital estate might even be a target for nefarious actors.

It’s worth knowing exactly how to prepare and protect your digital legacy and what else you can do ahead of time to reduce the emotional and physical workload for your loved ones. And what happens next if you’re suddenly plunged into the same situation.

What does the law say?

One of the biggest challenges comes with social media ...