How to dispose of the digital heritage, which you leave behind

It used to be that when someone died, the executor of the deceased cleans the house, looked through his papers and made out a tax return. All this was difficult, but at least tangible. Today, when a significant part of human life takes place on the Internet, our relatives there additional headache: how to manage user accounts and purchases, if many of them you do not even You know?

Twenty years ago, the executor of the will was enough to collect the mail for the last three months. Now that we are in a digital society, without paper, all important information stored in your mind.

New York lawyer Besander Alison (Alison Besunder)

The way to carry out an inventory of digital life - online bank accounts, accounts in social networks and e-mail - has only recently become a standard in the field of disposal of real estate. Besander made a list of things that must understand each of its client to identify all the components of your life on the web.

The first steps

First, should make a will and to appoint him as a performer. At his disposal must be all your digital assets and online accounts.

Break up all the digital things into smaller pieces to make it easier to sort tasks by categories. Here are four main components:

1. Passwords.
2. Online banking accounts and other financial assets.
3. E-mail addresses and accounts in social networks.
4. Digital assets such as photos and music.

passwords

Make sure that the contractor will be able to gain access to your computer, and telephone accounts. Keep your list of passwords and do not leave it in a conspicuous place - especially for the working space. It should at least be someone who knows the password from your primary computer and a phone.

you can use password manager. In some of them you can assign an emergency contact who will be able to open your store, if you die or are incapacitated yourself. It is advisable to change the master password from the service every few months to avoid becoming a victim of data loss.

Besander said that is especially difficult after the death of the person to gain access to his Apple ID. Therefore, it is desirable to keep the data from this account separately.

Finance

Artist needs to know what bank account you have and how to access them. At least write down the address and bank account numbers. The same applies to insurance policies, stocks, brokerage and retirement accounts, and credit cards. Go through your cards and make a list of recurring payments: it can be utilities, loans, and even subscribe to "Yandex. Music. "

E-mails and social networks

Save the password by e-mail in a special file. If you use Gmail, you can configure the service "Just in case"To your attorney in the event that once received the notice.

In other services different conditions. For example, Yahoo in any case, no one will give your account, and Microsoft will send the Executive DVD-ROM with the entire contents of your box.

In the case of social networks, your actions should depend on how much is important to you, your account. If you have seven million followers in Instagram, on what you can earn good money, you can write a cover letter with instructions on the use of the account.

As Facebook has the ability to assign "custodian"That will manage your account. Twitter It allows executor of the will or a family member to disable your account. In the social network "VKontakte" also have instruction Human closing pages, which is not alive.

Digital assets

If you have a hard drive has some significant intellectual property is like an unfinished novel, you have to give your instructions to the representative of the order of it. If it is something not so significant - for example, photographs or handwritten music - it is still necessary to give instructions regarding the person to whom the content will get.

With the purchase of music from iTunes like things a bit more complicated: clicking "Buy", you do not actually buy the content, but only get a license for it. So Apple will not let pass these purchases as well as CDs.

Think about what else you own, for example, digital money games or domain names. Make a complete list, as well as an additional measure can put everything that happens in cloud service.

Finally, think about your online portfolio or a blog, which can also store your work. Dispose of your articles and pictures to your family members know what to do with all that.

Enlist help

If all of this you feel dizzy, then hire a lawyer. He will distribute digital assets and draw up guidelines on how to access them and how to divide them. But first make sure that the lawyer is well versed in these matters: do not hesitate to ask questions about his experience with the digital heritage.