Only 1 in 10 have accounted for all of their online assets, and nearly half (47%) haven’t accounted for any at all, according to new research.
In the wake of yet another Facebook data scandal, the New York Times have highlighted how ‘personal data has become the most prized commodity of the digital age’.
Are we aware enough of how to delete our online presence, or delegate someone to manage it if we become unable to?
In a world where your online presence can match your physical presence, have you ever considered what happens to your email accounts, social media channels or any digitally stored information when you die?
Digital assets you may have:
- email accounts
- social media
- shopping
- photo & video storage
- digital money or cryptocurrencies
- Any information stored electronically (either on the cloud, online or on a device)
- Domain names and intellectual property, including copyrights and trademarks
It would be rare to find a modern day adult without at least a couple of these. In February 2018, Facebook had 2.27 billion active users, and there are over 4 billion email accounts in the world. Yet, as our lives are increasingly digitised, is it time to address what happens to these accounts after we die?
In a new study on 1000 adults, MoneySupermarket have found that only 1 in 10 have accounted for all of their online assets. Furthermore, nearly half (47%) haven’t accounted for any at all!
Usually, after a person’s death, a family member has the right to manage their assets. However, with MoneySupermarket’s survey discovering that 62% of adults have never made a will, this can be difficult to arrange. In many cases, it is also unclear if this even extends to online assets at all.
To be completely sure what happens to your online assets after you die, the best thing to do is plan in advance.
This includes looking in to the policy of each site and data storage that you have submitted information on, to discover how to delete or deactivate your account.