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Your Data and Cyber Business After You're Gone
Reader Mountain Splash writes "The New York Times has a decent thought-inspiring article questioning what happens to our stored data and who owns the rights to it after we die. I have to admit that, while this dilemma had already crossed my mind many months ago, I've been rather slow to do something about handling it. While considering the same, though, what I did do was start a very detailed list of my many various emailboxes, IM monikers, cyber buddies, and yes, passwords (complete with encrypted hints to be stored separately). I have also already approached my roomie and my sister about following up with that list for me as a last wish if and when the inevitable should occur. Just wondering if everyone else has done the same or similar... Anyone gone so far as to have already filed their information along with their will with their family lawyer?"
I have also already approached my roomie and my sister about following up with that list for me as a last wish Rather gloomy but it did get me thinking about all the friends I only communicate with via email. If I look the wrong way crossing the road I'll just vanish from their sight.
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We spoke for about a half an hour. I don't recall a thing we said. - Colorblind James Experience
While terminally ill, Mr. Cochran, a programmer, left a full list of passwords for his work files with his employer, Mr. Purnell said. But he failed to do the same thing with the personal files, so they are now inaccessible.
Maybe he didn't want anyone reading his personal files? That seems like the most obvious explanation to me.
I think that as a culture, we need to learn how to let go of things. In the past, information was more ephemeral; books would decay or be lost over time. Just because we have the capacity virtually eternal data storage doesn't mean we should.
In a way, I think holding on to every minute detail of someone's life devalues the things of importance they left behind. Do you think they really want to be remembered by their tax returns? Would they have wanted their grandchildren to inherit their file of meeting notes? If someone wants to leave important digital information to posterity, they should put that intent in their will, and (*gasp*) maybe even make a hard copy of it.
Obviously if someone dies suddenly, that may not be an option. But my point is that we, the survivors, need to relearn how to distinguish between valuable data and stuff better left forgotten.
The reality is...
Nobody cares about your data. They just want your money, which is easy enough to find.
After reading through GiBs of your old mail, they will see that you have a secret swiss bank account with some cash????
Yeah sure...
Don't overestimate your importance in this world.
--
ee
Antiquated competence won't be a job skill forever.
I'm not that concernes about what happens to my data and emails after I die, not much interresting there. What I am thinking about is making a list of email addresses to the people that I'm only corresponding with by email and don't know any of my family/other friends and give to my sisters or something. I have some friends on the other side of the world and I think they should be notified if the inevitably should happen.
Think about it this way:
The computer is a container. It holds the information that is put into it; nothing more, nothing less. If I indicate that my bookshelves are going to my younger brother after my death, does that mean the books are too? If I bequeath him my dresser, does he get the clothes as well? I doubt it.
Information property is tricky business. It takes up little (no) physical space, so it's easy to forget. Instead of simply erasing disks or automatically passing along whatever they contain, computers need to be emptied just like the rooms of a house would be. Then everything needs to be sorted through--it doesn't all automatically go to whoever gets the house.
People that are worried about their data posthumously are:
1) Too self-obsessed and too boring to have anything interesting in their data including spreadsheets of the roughage contents in their twice-daily stool analysis, or
2) Have humungous pr0n collections and are afraid of "Joe Average was a dirty pervert" rumours spreading once they're dead.
How about we just kill those people and just see what happens to their data?
Gentoo Linux - another day, another USE flag.
I thought about this years ago. I don't really have any important information to impart to my loved ones, but I'm sure it would be helpful for them if they were to know passwords to the home router/firewall, webspace, etc.
Directions to this information are in my safety deposit box at the bank, along with our wills, etc.
Some may laugh, but consider: Why leave hassles with your family (especially technically ignorant ones, like mine)? If they have easy access to these things then they can change or cancel services, modify settings, etc.
Proverbs 21:19
Hi, I'm the janitor that works second shift at your company. I looked in that envelope after your manager left it on top of her desk in her unlocked office, and now not only do I have access to everything in the enterprise that you do, but I also have your hints for future password permutations!
THANKS, IDIOT SYSADMIN!
You should have password recovery policies and procedures for anything important, so you dont have to do something retarded like writing down a bunch of passwords that never expire on a piece of paper.
PS: If your "various ways of changing them" instruction was anything except "type 'pwgen' into the shell prompt" then your passwords suck, mister sysadmin.
This space for rent.
Isn't this just a new twist on an old problem -- poorly documented estates?
My dad, for example, has three mortgaged investment properties in Arizona, a motorhome, a car, and a safety deposit box. That I know about. I have no idea what his bank accounts are, what other real estate he might own, what his liabilities are, or what other assets he might have.
Your electronic data is just another element of the poorly documented estate, and probably the least important one, unless you're someone truly interesting and have various letters and correspondence someone else might care about.
I dread dad dying unexpectedly. Not only will it be a personal loss, but it will be a huge PITA to get his estate sorted. Dad had a ton of problems when mom died, and she was his wife and he inhereted all of her stuff by default. At least I know enough to bee-line to the safety deposit box (for which I have a key) and to take out all the gold...
I notice this is moderated funny, but this is actually BANG ON. My housemate died suddenly earlier this year, and his family came for all his things a while later... in the meantime I cleaned all the porn off his desktop and laptop (had to break in as he was running passworded Windows XP) as I knew he had some.... alternative.... tastes that his very Catholic family would not like.
I completely forgot about the approx. 20 CDs that were in his CD wallets alongside loads of feature films - and the family got them.
Luckily the stuff on CDs was really the tamer kind of thing... only a little anecdote, but goes to show how close to the bone the parent comment is.
"We have what's called the "Hit by a bus" file where I work. It's supposed to be a set of sealed envelopes to be opened in the event of an emergency."
We have those too, only they're called "internal documentation" and stored in a readily reviewable format in a controlled setting.
"Sadly, we had a server die while the Network Admin was on vacation, and we discovered his was blank. Seems he wants to take all our configuration, login and server data to his grave."
Dude, if your freakin' network config map and other critical info is supposed to be placed in a sealed envelope WITHOUT review, and stuck in a mayonaisse jar like some Amazing Kreskin skit, I'd run far and fast from your employer.
Yep boss, I've got the whole project completed. It's all documented in this sealed manila envelope which you are NOT to open until my death. So, about my bonus review...
When someone dies, people come out of the woodwork to claim various issues. The dead cannot verify or dispute these claims, so having records (and especially receipts) can help settle arguments that will arise.
Having an email trail may be helpful. Who knows?
Wouldn't the bank records and statements still be available at the bank? I'd image that this could be handled just like any other bank account where the bank will transfer the funds according to the will or the appropriate laws.
"Knowledge makes us accountable." - Che Guevara