Dealing with death in the digital age
If you’re having a bit or trouble remembering all those pesky usernames and passwords, think what it’s going to be like after you die.
With an increasing portion of our personal lives locked away online in password-restricted accounts, pulling together an estate following a death can cause major headaches.Enter Legacy Locker, an online service that allows you to securely store usernames, passwords and other access information for all your digital assets — from Facebook and MySpace to PayPal — and transfer that information to beneficiaries in the event of your death.
What’s wrong with simply writing down all your codes and instructions, and putting that information in a safe or the hands of a family lawyer? Nothing, just make sure someone can easily gain access to it when needed. Legacy Locker, for instance, is much easier to update and can also distribute different access codes to different people.
The service only unlocks if two people whom you've chosen confirm your death, and even then only if one of them supplies a death certificate.
Still worried about security? One option might be to store half of your digital history information here and entrust the other half to family members. That way, each side's information would be useless without the other's.
Or maybe you just want to use it for less delicate things like photo albums.
The service only unlocks if two people whom you've chosen confirm your death, and even then only if one of them supplies a death certificate.
Still worried about security? One option might be to store half of your digital history information here and entrust the other half to family members. That way, each side's information would be useless without the other's.
Or maybe you just want to use it for less delicate things like photo albums.
If you’re interested, the service can be used on a very limited basis for free, or you can purchase a membership for $30 a year.
Tell us: Would you entrust this type of information to third party providers?
By Gordon Powers, MSN MoneyShare:
Posted by: Bob Stewart | Oct 16, 2021 3:36:05 PM
VitalLock.com is a free service that provides the same functionality and additional security by encrypting all data *before* it ever leaves your system for storage.
Posted by: Jeremy Toeman | Oct 16, 2021 5:59:12 PM
Gordon, thanks for the post. Just wanted to let readers know the link to the website is www.legacylocker.com!