What happens to Online Data after you pass away?

Online life after death is something not too many people think about, even though the amount of data that we currently keep online is enormous. Almost everyone has at least one email account, a social networking account (Myspace, Facebook, hi5 etc.) and most currently, online banking. with all this data available online, one must consider what happens to all this data when the worst happens; the unfortunate, yet inevitable event of death. To help you protect those dear to you and yourself from invasion of privacy.



I have spent the last week reaserching this, I have emailed several companies that will probably hold sensitive; personal information about users. I asking them what happens to user's data when he/she passes away and what measures have they taken to protect users. Here is what each company ** said...


I am going to analyse * four aspects for each company; the work required to get things done, the security level, the possible actions that the company can take in the event of death and the time needed to take action.

 Yahoo Stated that they WILL NOT give access to the deceased account but can TERMINATE and DELETE any accounts associated with the deceased, but will require the legal representative to send three papers by FAX or MAIL.

1. A letter containing request and stating the Yahoo! ID of the Deceased.

2.A copy of a document appointing the requesting party as the personal representative or executor of the estate of the deceased

3. A copy if the death certificate of the Yahoo! account holder.

I think Yahoo handled this issue in a very professional and balanced way, they have not over requested information but did request enough data for Authentication, also they have refused to give access to account which ensures the privacy of the deceased person's account.  Bellow is the summary in a table.

Well done Yahoo! You have nailed it this time.

 

As a Small reminder Facebook has been one the worst companies in writing terms of use and privacy as most of you have noticed the uprise that happened in the past few months, that forced Facebook to change their terms and conditions several times. Now back to the topic. Facebook at request can MEMORIALIZE the account, what they mean by that is to remove certain sensitive information like status updates and restrict access to confirmed friends, they WILL NOT give access to the account. They don't seem to ask for any paperwork to confirm such case and "ANY" person can submit an ONLINE FORM by answering the following:

1.Full Name

2.Date of Birth

3.Account Email Address.

4.Network Names.

5.Relationship to person   (note: They don't seem to request any proof !! )

THAT'S ALL!!!

Oops! They also say they do honor requests from close family members to close account completely (seems this will require some kind of proof although nothing mentioned)

Honestly if they do not ask for any proofs after the form is submitted (they have not mentioned anything) and the above is everything required to memorialize the account, Mark Zuckerburg should seriously close down his legal department !

Maybe they felt sad and decided they should not add any pressure on the deceased family and they should make it SUPER easy to Memorialize the account not taking in mind that this is a huge vulnerability and anyone with bad intentions will be able to submit such a simple  form . Bellow is the summary in a table.

 

 

Gmail stated that they WILL GIVE ACCESS to the content of deceased email and in order to grant access they will require the following info to be either MAILED or FAXED

1.The requesting party Full Name and Contact information including a verifiable email address.

2.The Gmail address of the individual who passed away.

3a.The Full header from an email message that the requesting party received at the verifiable address, from the Gmail address in question.

3b. The entire contents of the message.

4.Proof of death.

5.one of the following (a) if the decedent was 18 or older, please provide a proof of authority under local law  that the requesting party is the lawful representative of the deceased or his/her estate. (b)if the decedent was under the age of 18 and the requesting party is the parent of the individual, please provide a copy of the decedent's birth certificate.

Google did it again as always, they are pros. too . As you might have noticed Yahoo! and Gmail requirements are similar with small differences, I like that they divided the age part that's making it a bit easier without risking any privacy... FACEBOOK!!! . Although I do respect their choice to give full access to the account because at times it could be helpful  But it would have been better if they didn't to maintain the users privacy. Bellow is the summary in a table.

 

Myspace made me laugh for 5 min maybe 6 :)  after I read their response, will come to that in a min. they stated they WILL NOT give access to the account but can DELETE PROFILE, REMOVE CONTENT, CREATE MEMORIAL GROUP. and to do that they require the following info to be sent by EMAIL: 

1.Proof of Death.

2.Relation to the deceased (from personal email address)

3.Deceased user myspace ID

4.Request to either delete or remove content.

Now the funny part.. remember above they said they cant give access to the account ?! sure u do ...I dont know what to say ... Myspace is trying to be SMART! they are teaching the sender a way to hack into the deceased user's account.  They tell you to use the forget password option if can get access to deceased email account. why would they mention this in the email !!! so not in place and does  not sound right.  OK .. Bellow is the summary in a table.

 

 

Windows Live Mail stated they WILL GIVE ACCESS to email account by resetting the password and to do that they require the following info. to be sent either by FAX or MAIL.

1.Request faxed or mailed to custodian of records.

2.A document that shows that the requesting party is the executor to the deceased's estate.

3.A photocopy of the executor's Driver's License.

4.A photocopy of the death certificate.

5.Account Name.

6.First and Last name of the person who owns the account.

7.Date of Birth

8.City, State and Zipcode/Postal Code.

9.The approximate date of account creation            ( WHY?)

10.The approximate date of last sign in                   (WHY THIS ONE TOO?)

OK, Microsoft is professional but at times I feel they get too confident which leads to what I like to call mistakes. I find the last two question silly Why would they need the account creation date and last sign in date! its just stupid and I am sure most people wouldn't know. I have to point out that they have a very fast response rate (2 business days). I find that they have asked too many questions thinking comlicating things would make them look even more professional  (that's a joke :) ) Off to the table.

 

 

 

 

 I emailed maktoob.com and this is what I got.

" Dear Valued Customer,

Thanks for using Maktoob.

Our apologies; the information you required is not available by Maktoob. We advice you to refer to our Search Engine on Maktoob Homepage.

We are always at your service. should you have further queries or if you have nay suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you an best regards

Customer care"

I don't get it! not available by Maktoob !! seems I have to go look for a Maktoob question on Microsoft.

 

Twitter as always.. Busy... server down.. sorry twitter is over capacity, their response to my email wasn't much different.have a look, (double click the image to view full size) they sent me this email after days of submitting my question to them, they are asking to confirm if I still want them to email me back because they are busy with spam !

I hope you have enjoyed this article, wish you all a Healthy and lengthy life  :)  , please feel free to leave your comments.

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* this is an analysis so please please refer back to the concerned company to verify information

** Companies reviewed are welcomed to request correction if there is a mistake and are also welcome to provide any addition or clarification. the logos used belong to their respective owners