Digital inheritance is the process of handing over (personal) digital assets (such as email, facebook, twitter, paypal, ebay, blogs, and ResearchGate accounts) to (human) beneficiaries. What do you think about the possible solutions to organise such inheritance?
Just giving it some thought without any real research, could they not be dealt with by viewing them as one views a deceased's Facebook page, applying the lens of the privacy law concept 'the right to be forgotten'? Any passwords known, if any at all, could be gathered (or just kept initially) with the individuals lawyer, and then the accounts deactivated and purged.
Allowing a trustee/lawyer to preform this duty would also allow for the recovery of digital-only documents which were in the deceased's inbox.
Just some thoughts, interesting question though!
Dear Mohammad,
I think digital assets is a new brilliant idea. Your digital assets might include documents, software, downloaded content, online gaming, and even emails. The Economist has estimated holdings of digital music may be worth over £9 billion in Great Britain alone.
Thanks Prof. Mahfuz. I agree with you and because of its importance we should have a special law for digital inheritance.
Good question, Mohammad! A living trust can include digital inheritances. Anything that can be done to include real or personal property in such a trust can also be done to digital property. No additional legislation seems necessary, at least not in the U.S. Just let the words "digital property" appear in the language of the trust, or else be specific about this property if considerable monetary value is involved.
Digital assets can be inherited in a family or be delivered to local public library.
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