Most of us own a significant number of social media accounts but have yet to plan for these accounts when we passed. Physical assets can be distributed via a will document but digital content sits within the personal accounts and shall remain inaccessible for security reasons. The companies operating such accounts have different policies in dealing with accounts belonging to deceased users. Here's how to plan ahead.

1. What is your
Digital Legacy?
CHChua

2. Social Media Accounts Legacy
Most of us own quite a few social media
accounts but have yet to plan for these
accounts when we passed. Physical assets can
be distributed via a will document but digital
content sits within the personal accounts and
shall remain inaccessible for security reasons.
CHChua

3. The companies operating such accounts have
different policies in dealing with accounts belonging
to deceased users. Here are some examples:
CHChua

4. Apple looks set to offer a new Digital Legacy program that
allows the users to designate people as Legacy Contacts to
allow access to their Apple ID account for important data
and photos in the event of death.
What Apple is doing is not new. Google has an Inactive
Account Manager and Linkedin offers options for those
authorised to address a deceased person’s account, so it is
about time Apple let its users plan ahead.
APPLE
01
CHChua

5. Its latest Terms provide: "With Digital Legacy, you can choose to add one or
more contacts to access and download certain data in your account after your
death. If your designated contacts provide proof of death to Apple and have
the required key, they will automatically obtain access to that certain account
data and activation lock will be removed from all your devices. Thus, it is your
responsibility to keep your Digital Legacy contacts up to date."
Although Apple has for some time allowed requests to a deceased family
member’s account or to delete the account, the new digital legacy scheme is
still important to streamline and simplify the process.
Above feature is not live yet.
APPLE: DIGITAL LEGACY
CHChua

6. The word Remembering will be
shown next to the person's name
on their profile.
Remembering
Memorialised profiles do not appear
in public spaces such as in
suggestions for People you may
know, ads or birthday reminders.
Non public
Depending on the privacy settings
of the account, friends can share
memories on the memorialised
timeline.
Sharing
Content the person shared (e.g.
photos, posts) stays on Facebook
and is visible on Facebook to the
audience it was shared with.
Content
One can plan in advance and choose either:
- to appoint a legacy contact to look after his
memorialised account ,
OR
- to have his account permanently deleted.
Memorialised accounts are a place for friends and
family to gather and share memories after a person
has passed away. Memorialised accounts have the
following key features:
Facebook/
Instagram
02
CHChua

7. If one chooses to permanently delete the FB account, all
messages, photos, posts, comments, reactions and info will be
immediately and permanently removed from Facebook.
Another alternative for family/friends is to create a FB group to
share memories of deceased.
Permanently delete
FACEBOOK:
CHChua

8. Like Facebook, Google also recognises that users wish to
control the fate of their accounts and profiles after death.
It has a user-friendly tool/guide for the users to set up their
what-if plan.
Google's Inactive Account Manager allows account
holders to decide whether to delete the account or pass
(some) account information on to survivors after a period
of inactivity.
Google
03
CHChua

9. Linkedin
04
LinkedIn does not currently allow a member to decide
what should happen to his account when he departs
permanently, but it might someday.
For now, LinkedIn account remains active until someone
reports that the member is dead. Reporting a deceased
member will result in the account being hidden. Once an
account is hidden, the profile is no longer searchable or
visible on LinkedIn.
If we have the authority to act on behalf of a
deceased member (e.g. an administrator or executor
or trustee), we can request to memorialize or close
the account. If the account is closed, it can take up
to 21 days to completely delete the data from the
system. If we are not authorised, we can only report
a member as deceased.
Closed Account
Memorialized accounts allow a person’s legacy to
remain on LinkedIn after they have passed away.
Once an account is memorialized, access to the
account is locked. LinkedIn will not disclose any
usernames or passwords to anyone, including family
members, under any circumstances.
Memorialized
CHChua

10. Just in case...
Planning for the just-in-case is your way of showing how much
Planning for the just-in-case is your way of showing how much
Planning for the just-in-case is your way of showing how much
you care for your loved ones as it requires your time and
you care for your loved ones as it requires your time and
you care for your loved ones as it requires your time and
efforts; to save them much headache and hassle.
efforts; to save them much headache and hassle.
efforts; to save them much headache and hassle.
It is not complicated. You just need to begin.
It is not complicated. You just need to begin.
It is not complicated. You just need to begin.
May these
May these
May these tips
tips
tips in the next page be useful to your just-in-case
in the next page be useful to your just-in-case
in the next page be useful to your just-in-case
planning:
planning:
planning:
CHChua

11. List down the type of asset/accounts,
where it is stored online, its estimated
financial value if any.
Inventory of Your
Digital Assets/
Accounts:
For each digital asset on the list, decide
what you want your executors/trustees or
loved ones to handle them after you pass
away. Be as specific as possible.
Leave clear
instructions re the
Assets / Accounts:
Do Not assume your executors/trustees or
loved ones are tech-savvy. Avoid conflicts
and confusion by naming a digital
executor as you spell out clearly who can—
or cannot—access/manage your digital
assets as part of your estate plan.
Who Will Manage
Your Digital Assets?
CHChua

12. Deadlines are
motivators and none
more so than Death.
SAMUEL JACKSON