Slashdot Mirror
Apple Refuses To Unlock Bequeathed iPad
mrspoonsi writes "A man whose mother bequeathed her iPad to her family in her will says Apple's security rules are too restrictive. Since her death, they have been unable to unlock the device, despite providing Apple with copies of her will, death certificate and solicitor's letter. After her death, they discovered they did not know her Apple ID and password, but were asked to provide written consent for the device to be unlocked. Mr Grant said: 'We obviously couldn't get written permission because mum had died. So my brother has been back and forth with Apple, they're asking for some kind of proof that he can have the iPad. We've provided the death certificate, will and solicitor's letter but it wasn't enough. They've now asked for a court order to prove that mum was the owner of the iPad and the iTunes account.'"
They didn't get an appointment, probably because there's no substantial assets (real estate, automobile) subject to probate or they got around probate with those other assets using joint ownership.
The will shows who the deceased at one point in time said should have the rights to the property.
The problem the children have is the will is not in force unless a court says it is .
There could be multiple wills. They all start "Last will and testament". People step forward on frequent occasion with an updated will or contestation of a singular will. A court sorts this out. That is why the uniform commercial code says that proof of executorship/administration, even when issued by the court, be accepted if dated within 60 days. In this way, the person or entity accepting the authority of the court from that document be held without blame according to safe harbor provisions.
Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
Seems like they are showing the utmost respect for the owner. It contains private data. If she had wanted to be sure the family got the device and the data she'd have included the password. Most likely she "bequeathed" it because the relatives got everything she owned, not that the device was mentioned specifically.
It's not Apple's property that is being protected by this dead lady's password - it's the dead lady's device, data, and property. The whole issue wouldn't exist if she'd thought to pass along the keys with her property; unfortunately she didn't. The manufacturer can give the family a new set of keys, but requires evidence of ownership from a court of law before handing them over. Do you really want companies to hand over the keys to YOUR data and devices to someone else WITHOUT a court order?