When an individual dies, all his material property is transferred according to his written will. But what alternatives are for digital assets? What can be done to social media accounts, emails, YouTube videos, etc.?
Of course, a person can hand over complete control of his digital estate to his beneficiaries. But the main reason to avoid such actions is the risk of post-mortem fraud, which has become increasingly frequent in recent years. The family members sometimes experience not only online defamation but even financial fraud performed on behalf of the defunct person.
Memorialization and Facebook
When the Facebook account is memorialized, a “remembering” icon is set near the deceased person’s name. Besides, the account can’t be logged into, preventing fraudsters from gaining access to the profile. The positive aspect is that family and friends can post memories on the timeline. The memorialized account is also removed from public options like birthday reminders, ads, friend suggestions, cherishing the deceased person’s memory, and saving it from fraud.
Twitter’s Policy
Other social networks like Twitter do not provide such a luxury approach as memorializing. Their solution is permanent and plain – the account is deactivated at the beneficiary’s request.
Google account
Over the last decade, cloud networks appeared to be the primary storage space for all information types. But when a person passes away, his account is left inaccessible. That is why Google developed the “Inactive Account Manager” solution, which allows the user to set the required amount of time. When this time is over (usually 3-12 months), the media from the inactive account is transferred to the chosen beneficiaries. Besides, Google offers the option to delete all files from the report, including Picasa albums, YouTube videos, etc., after the same inactivity period.
PayPal accounts
As PayPal is the largest payment platform in the USA, it offers perfect and safe ways to recover the deceased person’s assets. The money transfer usually occurs when PayPal receives official documents from the estate executor, including a cover sheet that acknowledges the account holder’s death, the executor’s written wish to close the account, documents verifying the executor’s identity, etc.
Suppose you have any questions about transferring digital assets. In that case, you can always contact Morgan Legal Group PC – our legal professional team specializes in moving. You can always get Morgan Legal Group PC – our team of legal professionals specializing in asset protection.