Digital inheritance

Digital inheritance is the process of handing over (personal) digital media in the form of digital assets and rights to (human) beneficiaries. The process includes understanding what digital assets and rights exist and dealing with them after a person has died. Digital inheritance is the process of handing over (personal) digital media in the form of digital assets and rights to (human) beneficiaries. The process includes understanding what digital assets and rights exist and dealing with them after a person has died. Digital media play an increasingly important role in life. The media in which a digital inheritance resides can be owned by or independent of the deceased. In contrast with physical assets, digital assets are ephemeral and subject to constant change. Intellectual property and privacy, particularly post-mortem privacy, are additional factors. Digital inheritance may present a challenge for data heirs in its complexity and intricacy, and may have legal implications. With the average person having multiple online accounts, digital inheritance has become a complex issue. Digital inheritance is the process of handing over (personal) digital media in the form of digital assets and rights to (human) beneficiaries. Digital media play an increasingly important role in life and digital inheritance is what is left behind when a person dies. The media in which a digital inheritance resides can be owned by or independent of the deceased. In the former category are personal computers, mobile phones and other devices, and in the latter category are the online corporations such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. In between is a grey area of forums, blogs, personal websites and online banking. In contrast with physical assets, digital assets are ephemeral and subject to constant change. Intellectual property and privacy are additional factors. Digital inheritance may present a challenge for data heirs in its complexity and intricacy. With the average person having 25 online accounts, digital inheritance has become a complex issue. The term digital estate refers to digital media and rights that can be inherited. Digital assets are (in contrast to physical assets) more dynamic and ephemeral. When a person dies they leave behind a digital presence which can include online accounts, passwords, contracts, receipts, financial transactions, medical information or personal websites, and can involve banking, writing, images and social media. A digital estate is not only a person's online presence; it includes data stored digitally on personal technology such as a phone or computer. Two principal issues arise over a person's digital estate: firstly, inheritability, those data or copyrights which belong to the deceased and can be inherited; secondly, access to the deceased person's digital estate by someone charged with dealing with it. A number of bodies have highlighted the difficulties that these and other issues may raise. Digital assets are those digital media that a person owns, or has rights to. They may include passwords, writing, images or other media, either online or offline. They may be sensitive, such as banking and medical information, or shared, such as with social media contacts or in forums. In contrast with physical assets, digital assets are always subject to change or deletion. A data heir is the person (or people) to whom a digital estate has been bequeathed or to whom rights have been assigned, either legally or informally. A data heir may be provided with clear instruction, may be faced with an un-sorted data flood with limited instructions, or may be left no instructions. Digital assets which involve contracts with service providers will have to be dealt with to prevent loss of access to data. People's need to be able to pass on their digital assets has given rise to several companies that specialize in providing consumers with ways to allow their heirs to inherit their digital assets after they die. The practical approach to digital inheritance is to keep a regular backup of digital assets in a secure place and appoint a single person who will post-mortem deal with the assets. An up-to-date list of passwords to online accounts would be essential. One method of ensuring that a digital inheritance is handled legally and comprehensively is to use a digital estate planner.