Glenn Duker, Lawyer and Solicitor, on What Happens to Your Social Media after Death

Today, an increasing amount of our lives is being lived online. This includes financial assets such as shares and savings accounts, but also a vast amount of the “social currency” that we spend as well. Things like photographs, conversations, memories, and even more intangible aspects of what makes up our identity are shared and stored online.

What many of us don’t stop to consider is that our digital presence often has a greater longevity than we do. What do we want to happen to our social media accounts once we’re gone? Glenn Duker, lawyer and solicitor, is perfectly suited to help you decide.

Privacy laws dictate that electronics companies aren’t allowed to disclose content without its owner’s consent or a government order, such as a police investigation. This means that bereaved families can’t force these corporations to let them enter these specific accounts or view the deceased’s data. Seems crazy, right? Most people give little to no thought of such things, until it’s too late.

When you sign up to use a digital service, this is part of your user agreement (for most people, the box marked “I agree” that we tick without reading the contract behind it). If users want anyone to be able to use or access their accounts once they’ve passed on, they need to provide consent and account information in their estate plans.

If you want to incorporate your digital data into your existing will, or need to draw up a new one, Glenn Duker, lawyer and solicitor, will guide you through these and other issues.