In this digital age, you might wonder what happens to your digital information when you die. In fact, your digital accounts live on even after your death. Your personal property includes both tangible (what you can touch and move) property as well as intangible property (such as social media accounts). Many people do not plan for what will happen to their digital assets when planning their estates. It is important to consider who could or should have access to digital accounts, such as social media accounts, cryptocurrency accounts, and other accounts that may contain sensitive information if you are incapacitated or after you die. Access to the passwords associated with digital accounts is crucial to the management of these accounts.
If keeping all of this information private is important to you, appointing an agent under a Power of Attorney and executor under a Will to oversee your digital accounts will be beneficial to you. Estate plans set forth how your digital information is to be handled in case of your incapacity or death, including who has access to the accounts and how the accounts should be handled or preserved. This minimizes the potential risk that others could expose embarrassing, incriminating, or reputation-damaging information without your permission. Contact your estate planning attorney to discuss the protection of your digital assets and passwords during your lifetime and after your death.
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