Slashdot Mirror
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?"
Yeah, I think so. 599 comments on the subject. Let's just all refer to that, shall we?
For business related death I have prepared extensive documentation on servers, passwords, accounts, banking relationships, etc. and have filed that in my bank lock-box. I have informed my attorney whom I wish to have handle those affairs in my absence (a trusted friend/partner). The attorney has that on record in my will. The asset disposal itself is a normal course of handling the estate, but telling Amazon, PayPal, Authorize.net, and others who have my finanicals to shut off my account is no small effort. Finding the trusted friend is not trivial either.
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.
(complete with encrypted hints to be stored separately)
"Wait, i'll read it out loud!"
"TO UNCOVER ALL MY PASSWORDS LOVE,
LOOK UP INTO THE STARS ABOVE!
THE CHEERING CROWDS GAZE WITH FUN
FROM LOCATION THIRTY ONE!"
"Stars above? What does it mean!"
"I've got it! To the Planetarium! The next clue must be under seat thirty one!"
"Man, i'm so glad Bill died. I'm having the time of my life!"
Ever visited a website for a movie that had been released 3 or 4 years ago? The sites just sit there on a server somwhere, ignored largely.
I had a friend commit suicide rather suddenly a few years ago. His site is still up at AOL. I can still read messages he posted and see pictures of him here and there on the net. He left quite a digital legacy.
It's truely intersting, the things we leave behind and we don't realize it.
Chickens. Hordes of disease-ridden road-crossing chickens are on the other side. Just waiting.
No thank you. Life is safer on this side of the road.
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