Japan’s National Consumer Affairs Center on Wednesday suggested citizens start “digital end of life planning” and offered tips on how to do it. The Center’s somewhat maudlin advice is motivated by recent incidents in which citizens struggled to cancel subscriptions their loved ones signed up for before their demise, because they didn’t know their usernames or passwords. The resulting “digital legacy” can be unpleasant to resolve, the agency warns, so suggested four steps to simplify ensure our digital legacies aren’t complicated:
- Ensuring family members can unlock your smartphone or computer in case of emergency;
- Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords;
- Consider putting those details in a document intended to be made available when your life ends;
- Use a service that allows you to designate someone to have access to your smartphone and other accounts once your time on Earth ends.
The Center suggests now is the time for it to make this suggestion because it is aware of struggles to discover and resolve ongoing expenses after death. With smartphones ubiquitous, the org fears more people will find themselves unable to resolve their loved ones’ digital affairs – and powerless to stop their credit cards being charged for services the departed cannot consume.
This. Why would anyone want their private conversations, out there? Don’t put your password in you will. Put a dead man switch on your PC.
If it is to close down a social media account they can contact the company directly.
If it is to take out money, they can contact the bank directly.
If it is to inform contacts, they can live without knowing.
If it is to cancel subscriptions, you’re going to have to send letters, wait in a phone call for hours, and cancel the credit card either way because of scummy cancellation practices.
Or just give them the passwords to control some things, but not all?