What Happens to Your Digital Life When You're No Longer Around?
Weekly Wheaties #2623
In this newsletter:
📝 Post: What Happens to Your Digital Life When You're No Longer Around?
🗞️ In Case You Missed It: Tech Headlines
😎 Pick of the Week: Summer Reading and Watching
📦 Featured Product: Desk Organization
📝 What Happens to Your Digital Life When You're No Longer Around?
The last few weeks I’ve shared about protecting and preparing for your phone to fill up or become stolen. Something I hope you can avoid on either account. But a much more uncomfortable conversation revolves around what happens to your devices and online accounts when you are no longer around. Many of the same things are true and helpful: having a password manager, backing up your device and data, and more. A few past posts that will help here may include: Tips to Keep Your Personal Information Private, What Should You Do After You’ve Been Hacked, and Is Your Phone Ready to Be Stolen?
As we look into the future, there are some nuances that begin to appear when we look at specific pieces of information or online ownership. To loosely quote Sean Parker from The Social Network, “We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we’re going to live on the internet!” We post everything publicly online, but what about the more personal things others may need to access if we’re not around and able to give permission? If you’ve setup any type of will and testament, hopefully you’re already accounting for your home, vehicle, and other possessions, but use this as a reminder to also include your digital assets.
In our digital world, there is a lot more to handle than just our phones and social media, too. Today, many other important things are managed digitally, including: photos, subscription services, monetary accounts (banking, crypto, payment processors like PayPal and Venmo), and other cloud services. Luckily, for many of them, simply having an email login and password may be sufficient. However, do your loved ones know how to access your emails and passwords? Are they backed up somewhere - perhaps in a password manager?
Keep in mind, when accessing accounts, typically a Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) will be requested. There are 3 things MFAs use to tell someone is who they say they are:
Something you know (password)
Something you have, or have access to (a device for a text message or email)
Something you are (fingerprint or FaceID)
If someone is no longer around to provide access through a fingerprint or FaceID, having the other pieces becomes all but required. You need to make sure someone close to you either currently has this information, or will if something were to happen to you. Most of the major online services will not have decent customer support accessing accounts (Google, Facebook, Microsoft) if you aren’t the account owner. However, if you prepare things preemptively, many of them have great practices in place. Make sure to visit and complete information for:
By searching “legacy contact for [insert service]” you can typically find information for the account or service important to you. The Digital Legacy Association also has a lot of resources and information for other specifics not mentioned here.
As mentioned, having and using a password manager isn’t just important for you, but for your loved ones once you’re no longer around. Start creating and planning a digital inventory just as you would a physical inventory. This can include a lists of your online accounts (email, social media, banking, etc), photo storage, digital documents, and anything else that lives in the digital world. You do not have to give access to these accounts today - only have a plan in place. This could be a physical piece of paper stored in a safe, kept with your living will, or stored with a loved one whom you trust.
There are so many other nuances approaching different types of access after someone does pass that I can’t begin to cover everything. One thing that can be very expensive and difficult to cancel is a phone service. Meaning, having someones phone number stay active for MFA support, or simply receiving phone calls for a given service can be important. Keeping the account active (essentially forever) can become expensive. Thanks to a Reddit post, they shared how you can Port a phone number to Google Voice. This includes mobile phones and land line phones.
There are some things to note and consider though. Not all numbers can be ported, and some services do not recognize a Google Voice as a ‘real’ phone number. There is also a one time charge of $20- which keeps you from having to pay a monthly fee. There is discrepancy on whether or not Google will cancel the number if not used - which can be combated by calling or texting from that number once a month to keep it active. Lastly, Google is famous for ending support of random products, so this may not be a completely future-proof plan.
So, if something happened to you tomorrow, would your family know where your digital life begins and ends?
🗞️ ICYMI: Tech Headlines
Google offers opt-out of “AI” search results for websites, promises it won’t affect regular search rankings. If you want to verify AI isn’t scraping sites, and you want to opt of any AI overview, consider using DuckDuckGo.
Two big names are looking to go public with an IPO later this fall. Anthropic and SpaceX - setting the price for the world’s largest IPO at $135. Exact dates weren’t shared for either.
New report shows annual app subscribers rarely return after they cancel. A friendly reminder that you may have some app subscriptions you forgot about…
Researchers let AI models run a simulated society. Claude was the safest. But let’s face it, these things can be very tricky based on the prompt and exact model of the LLM - which changes every week.
With the release of the Fitbit Air, many people are yearning for a basic smartwatch. A popular alternative allows you to turn your classic Casio watch into a smartwatch with the newly released Ollee Watch.
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference returns this week. Be on the lookout for a potential new Siri and other AI features announced for the next iOS version (releasing to the public typically in late September).
😎 POTW: Summer Reading and Watching
Whether your on the beach soaking up the sun, or stuck indoors looking for your next YouTube watch, consider something here:
Reading List:
YouTube Watch List:
Michelle Khare’s series on I Ran 7 Marathons in 7 Days on 7 Continents
Ryan Trahan’s series on The Top 10 Places in America (also, don’t forget his daily Minecraft marathon)
Yes Theory is continuing their worldwide travel
Three popular YouTubers have made Hollywood-level movies (all are in the horror genre for some reason) that have made millions:
📦 Featured Product
With spring cleaning potentially still on your mind, how about moving to the office and clean up your desk space? For starters, a Clamp-on Desk Pegboard comes in two different sizes or colors, and can mount to your desk on any side. The accessory bins and clips can handle anything that may currently be randomly placed on your desk, and it can be organized for your workflow. To keep the cables out of the way, pair that with an Under Desk Cable Management Organizer. If you don’t want the clamps showing, and assuming you won’t have a ton of weight stored in it, the No-Screw Under Desk Cable Management uses double-sided adhesive to connect to your desk.
