Have you thought about your digital legacy?

Written by:
Leo Hoogma, 4 December 2023

You prefer not to think about it (too much), but what would happen to your online profiles if you were to die unexpectedly? Is there someone who has your passwords, or have you assigned someone, for example for your business Facebook page, who can take over management when you are no longer there?

Living and dying in a digital age
Life in this age leaves its digital traces. A profile that someone creates is not automatically taken offline upon death. Usually that's okay, and an inactive account will automatically be taken offline after a certain amount of time. But what if it concerns an important profile, for example one linked to your company? Then it is important that your surviving relatives can manage this profile and possibly transfer it.

How do you arrange your digital legacy?

Make sure you take the time to do this. We would like to provide some practical tips:

• Make a list of your important (business) accounts, such as social media and email accounts. Store this list and your passwords in a digital safe, or in another place where no one can reach them. Make sure that one person you trust has access to this important data in an emergency.
• Make a list of your digital assets such as domain names, business archives and websites, and provide instructions on what to do with these assets after your death .
• Do you run a business Facebook page? You can appoint someone as co-manager. If you unexpectedly disappear, this person can still communicate from the business page.
• Facebook contains the practical function where you can select someone who can put your account on "in memoriam" if you unexpectedly die. You can set this yourself via your Facebook profile.

You can also determine in a testamentary manner what should happen to your digital assets such as emails, photos, videos, accounts, online documents and other digital files in the event of death. Preferably ensure that passwords are easy to find by a surviving relative. It is important to inform your heirs of your wishes and provide the necessary information so that they know how to access and handle your (digital) inheritance.

Would you like to know more about this subject?
Do you want to know more about you practically arrange your online affairs? Please feel free to contact us via mail or WhatsApp and we will be happy to help you.

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