

[Ask HN] What happens to your Internet assets when you die? - zakelfassi

Question is : what happens to you Twitter, Facebook and all your internet social assets when you die ? Is there any way to make them "disappear" ?!
Shouldn't we start thinking about this now ?
In a 100-years period, we'll have a Zombie FB. Don't you think ?
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nonamegiven
"In a 100-years period, we'll have a Zombie FB."

And if they're still around in 100 years, FB will probably be selling those
dead eyeballs to advertisers. They'll _certainly_ retain the data for
analytical purposes, regardless of what you'd like them to do.

But seriously, unless you own the hardware, you don't have _any_ assets on the
internet, social or otherwise.

If you own the machines that are presenting your "assets" to the internet,
then you own what's on the machine, notwithstanding any third party agreements
you have with respect to that data.

Everything else is owned by the providers: domain names, email, web pages,
blogs, tweets, FB posts, pictures, everything. The only access you or your
heirs have after your death is subject to a service's terms of service, any
arrangements you may have explicitly made with the service (assuming they'll
even make such an arrangement), and your legal will (assuming).

You may cry a mighty Internet "harumph!", but services don't care, or they
don't have to. You may think you or your heirs or estate can win a lawsuit,
and maybe you can, but why leave it to chance, and why put your heirs through
that?

Find out what the policies are with every provider you have, including domain
registrars, and then write your will in a way that the provider will accept
and can work with. If you can't come to an agreement with a provider, and the
assets are important to you, then think of alternatives. Backup at least,
possibly up to not using a particular provider.

In particular, if you don't want to live on as a publicly viewable ghost
account, that in Facebook's case might even continue to Like things after
death, then explicitly determine how to prevent that (if it's possible) and
make arrangements that conform with the provider's requirements.

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neeraga
Wow that is really a nice discussion. A very new and innovation way to look
into your social assets.

