Arranging Electronic Access For Your Survivors? 335
smee2 writes "In the past, when a family member died, you could look through their files and address books to find all the people and businesses that should be notified that the person is deceased. Now the hard-copy address book is becoming a thing of the past. I keep some contact information in a spreadsheet, but I have many online friends that I only have contact with through web sites such as Flickr. My email accounts have many more people listed than my address book spreadsheet. I have no interest in collecting real world info from all my online contacts. The sites where I have social contact with people from around the world (obviously) require user names and passwords. Two questions: 1. How do you intend to let the executors of your estate or family members know which online sites/people you'd like them to notify of your demise? 2. How are you going to give access to the passwords, etc. needed to access those sites in a way that doesn't cause a security concern while you're still alive?"
My father's text file... (Score:5, Informative)
Thankfully it was a small list and when he finally passed away I got on his laptop a few days later and followed his requests. Sent out emails to his contacts notifying them of what happened and that I will keep the accounts open for one month to await a response and provided a link to the obituary so that way they wouldn't have to search to confirm.
Not sure if this answers your question but I guess when all else seems to complicated, just mail a text file to someone you trust.
Re:Very simple.... (Score:5, Informative)
Easy (Score:3, Informative)
Use a password vault, leave the password to the password vault in your will.
Next.
Other Ask Slashdots... (Score:5, Informative)
Incidentally, related questions have been the topic of previous "Ask Slashdot" stories:
What Does Your Dead Man's Switch Do [slashdot.org]
Your Digital Inheritance [slashdot.org]
What Happens To Your Data When You Die [slashdot.org]
I think the take-home message from most of those discussions is that you need to make preparations. Just like with everything else in your life, you should ideally keep things organized enough so that your survivors can deal with it, both in terms of wrapping up your estate, and keeping the things that matter. So this means keeping a list of passwords and encryption keys somewhere (e.g. in a safe deposit box), and even instructions about what to do with various accounts. Your data should also be organized so that your family can make copies of things like photos and find nostalgic things that you've written.
Another point to consider is the things that you don't want your survivors seeing. If you have any secrets you want to take to your grave, be sure to encrypt them. And for the sake of your children's sanity, hide your porn! (Or label it so they can avoid it!)
Re:Very simple.... (Score:5, Informative)
I keep a USB drive in my home safe with my death kit on it. I encrypt that, copy that to CD and send it to my lawyer every few months. My sealed Will (at a different attorneys office) has a copy of the decryption key in it, and the will includes instructions on accessing the data.
I include the following:
- Personal information
-- Passwords file with usernames and passwords to all of the websites I use, personal computers and other electronic devices
-- Accounts file with basic information to all of my financial accounts, morgtages, life insurance,
-- Utilities file with all of the information about my utility services
-- Export of my address book
-- Death threats and persons of interest file (my work takes me to interesting places...)
-- House book with things like the keycode for my house, and all of the other stuff related to my house that only exists in my head otherwise
-- Auto book with copies of titles, etc
-- Letters to send
-Work file
-- Current copies of all importiant work related papers
-- Copy of my current Quickbooks file
-- A write-up of what someone needs to do in my job, along with sugestions of who to assign.
-- A copy of my personal file, complete with life insurance info
-- A usernames file with all of the UID and Passwords for running my buisness
-- A TO SHRED document, containing a list of files to be shredded upon my death
Make it easy (Score:5, Informative)
To your will (you do have a will, don't you?) attach a printed list of user id/passwords for websites, email accounts, etc. Update semi-annually. Also useful is a financial disclosure listing all of your bank accounts, utility accounts, mortgage information, credit cards, etc. Add a note with the location of your KeePass database (or equivalent), and the master password for it. File all of this (in paper and electronic form) in a very safe but accessible location - a home safe, a lawyer's office, a bank's trust office. DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR SAFE DEPOSIT BOX. If you are deceased the bank is not supposed to grant access to anyone until your estate is in probate, which will be tough if your will's in the box.
The reason you need the lists in paper form is that you cannot be sure of the technical skill or emotional state of those who will be dealing with the aftermath of your death.
Re:Very simple.... (Score:5, Informative)
Fire proof safes are often designed to protect paper by releasing foam that deprives the environment of oxygen necessary for it to burn. The internal temperature of the safe can and often does exceed several hundred degrees; Easily enough to destroy any electronic equipment. Check the design before you buy, or when you need it most you may find it was lacking.
Re:TrueCrypt (Score:3, Informative)
Write everything important in a TrueCrypt file system, email it to those who you would want to have it. Then pay for a safe deposit box, in the box put the password(and keyfiles as you see fit). The executor of your estate will be able to gain access to the box and if you add them as a signer it would be trivial, just don't let them have the key until you are dead.
Note that how easily the executor can gain access to the box, even if they are a signatory, will depend on the laws of the jurisdiction. Check with an estate attorney before putting anything in the box that would be needed soon after your death.
Re:Will (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Will (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Will (Score:3, Informative)
How can you include your passwords in your will if you change the password regularly?
I did my will recently. The basics (executor/beneficiaries/provisions)
are in the will proper which is witnessed and notarized. This document says generically that everything I own is divided between the beneficiaries without enumerating every asset.
Detailed information like accounts, passwords, and people/organizations to notify are kept in a separate 'instructions for executor' document which is not witnessed or notarized and can be easily and frequently updated.
Re:Hello, the person you know as sexmonkey69 has d (Score:4, Informative)
When I die, I plan to have a bot that pretends to be me maintain communications with all the "internet randoms" I know. If the bot gives odd responses to their comments, they'll probably just assume I'm drunk.