The ability for family or estate representatives to access digital accounts and information after the death of the owner has been an issue in the news lately. A handful of states, such as Florida, have passed digital access legislation that sets default rules allowing access to the digital asset as well as giving owners the right to set access limits. Now, a Minnesota couple is leading a battle to have the state adopt a digital access statute. The couple is motivated by the difficulties they faced in accessing the information stored on the password protected devices their son owner at the time of his accidental death. And they appear to have hope for quick action, a bill just passed committee in the state senate while, in the house, parallel legislation is moving forward. No opposition from the governors office is expected once a bill is pass.
See Brian Bakst, Parents Seek Digital Data Law After Son’s Death, Minnesota Public Radio, April 5, 2016.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
