Digital legacy explorer

Instagram offers a memorialisation service, which allows a deceased individual’s account to stay online without the risk of fraud or unwanted changes to your account. It is therefore important to make clear in your wishes if you would want this. Alternatively, the account can be closed and your family will need your Instagram handle and request to close it via their help centre.

Google has a pre-planning tool called “Inactive account manager” which allows the user to set up a nominated individual to access their Google account if they have not logged in after a set period of time. It is therefore important to set up this service if you wish to allow family members to access the relevant information they may need in your Google account. Google accounts can also be closed down via the Inactive account manager page.

Apple offers a pre-planning tool called “legacy contact” which allows nominated trusted individuals of your choosing to access your account after you have passed away. The legacy contact feature can be very helpful as without it in place family members will need a court order to gain access to a loved one’s Apple account. Apple accounts can also be deactivated to prevent fraud via the help centre.

Facebook provides a legacy contact feature which allows the contact to memorialise and look after the deceased individual’s profile. This includes writing a new pinned post, removing/editing old posts and reading messages. It is therefore essential to only nominate an individual as a legacy contact which someone you would be comfortable sharing this information with after you have passed away. Facebook also has the ability to deactivate a deceased individual’s account in order to prevent fraud and spam. Both of these services can be set up through the Facebook help centre.

LinkedIn offers a memorialisation service, which allows a deceased individual’s account to stay online without the risk of fraud or unwanted changes to your account. It is therefore important to make clear in your wishes if you would want this. Alternatively, the account can be closed. Your family will need your LinkedIn URL, death certificate and legal authorisation document to either memorialise or close your account via LinkedIn’s help centre.

Membership will terminate automatically upon the death of a member, Points accumulated but unused at the time of death shall be cancelled together with membership of the Scheme.

Twitter may automatically close accounts after prolonged periods of inactivity. If you want your account closed before to prevent fraud then your family will need your Twitter handle and request to close it via their help centre.