Unfortunately, communication and privacy laws have failed tocatch up with technology leaving Internet companies like Google and Facebookexposed to lawsuits from family members seeking answers from accounts belongingto other family members after death. Recently, Google has added the ability forusers to designate an account manager who will manage your different Google accountswhen you die. The account is connected to an inactivity timeline that userswill set. Once the account has been inactive for the specified period, Googlenotifies your designated account manager. Families treasure digital data muchlike folks traditionally treasured material heirlooms. Part of the legislativedifficulty is how privacy and access is being balanced with the emotionalsignificance of a person’s digital legacy.
See Rachel Ehrenberg, Computer Scientist Grapple With How to Manage the Digital Legacy of the Departed, Science News, Jun. 10, 2013.
