Let's add email to our discussion of social media. Our "assets" are more varied in this technological, multimedia, socializing generation and I only see it expanding. I can only stress, as I research this new emerging phenomenal in estate planning, that it is best if you state in your Will what you want to happen to YOUR creations whether on Facebook, MySpace, Linkin, or in your email accounts. The company policies vary for those that even have one at all. Let's explore a few:
Hotmail - has a policy of deleting email accounts if they are not touched for 270 days. If you die, your next of kin would be able to access your account within that period by proving their identity and supplying a death certificate.
Gmail - will also allow the next of kin or executor of estate to apply for access to a deceased user's email account. However, they need more identification than Hotmail. The person would have to prove their own identity and supply a death certificate as well as proof of an email conversation between them and the deceased. Gmail does not delete the deceased user's account, but the next of kin could choose to do so after gaining access to it.
Yahoo! - will let the user's next of kin ask for the account to be closed, but will not give them access to it.
All internet users who want to be sure their email and other online accounts are accessible to their legal heirs should plan an offline process for such access as part of their estate planning process. Leave your comments here or contact us at http://www.ythlaw.com/
Hotmail - has a policy of deleting email accounts if they are not touched for 270 days. If you die, your next of kin would be able to access your account within that period by proving their identity and supplying a death certificate.
Gmail - will also allow the next of kin or executor of estate to apply for access to a deceased user's email account. However, they need more identification than Hotmail. The person would have to prove their own identity and supply a death certificate as well as proof of an email conversation between them and the deceased. Gmail does not delete the deceased user's account, but the next of kin could choose to do so after gaining access to it.
Yahoo! - will let the user's next of kin ask for the account to be closed, but will not give them access to it.
All internet users who want to be sure their email and other online accounts are accessible to their legal heirs should plan an offline process for such access as part of their estate planning process. Leave your comments here or contact us at http://www.ythlaw.com/
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