google digital afterlife prepares users for their own death

Google allows Users to prepare for their own Death

Although most people make some plans for what happens to their family and important documents after they die very few of us consider what happens to our online presence after our final demise. Now we do not need to panic because Google have set up a new feature called the Inactive Account Manager, which is designed to handle the cleanup process of all your online data and digital accounts.

The new feature is designed to protect the safety and security of users and even contact chosen email contacts to inform them of a users death.

“Not many of us like thinking about death – especially our own. But making plans for what happens after you’re gone is really important for the people you leave behind,” wrote Andreas Tuerk, product manager, in a Google Public Policy blog post announcing the new feature.

The new Google feature is the latest attempt to determine what is important when an Internet user dies; some companies have begun to specialize in dealing with sorting through the online presence of a client. It is thought that in most cases only around 10 percent of a person’s online presence is important and needs to be dealt with.

Facebook has also produced an app and allows for a memorialization of a Facebook user; the app entitled If I Die sends out a last message from the deceased to those chosen and allows for the choosing of trustees responsible for handling the account of the deceased.

On The Web:

http://blogs.ft.com/tech-blog/2013/04/youve-got-mail-from-beyond-the-grave/?utm_medium=feed