Google Launches Inactive Account Manager To Handle Users’ Digital Data After Death
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Google has a new service that is assisting users to create an Internet will that lays out what happens to their information after they have died – either passing the information on to their loved ones (digital inheritance) or deleting it entirely.
Google’s Inactive Account Manager allows its users to pick people they trust to gain access to the information after the account has been dormant for however long they choose to be – three months, six months or one year.
Before the data is released, Google will send a final warning email and text message to ensure the user has died and just not left the accounts quiet.
Users can opt to have their information completely deleted, if they wish.
Andreas Tuerk, Google’s product manager, said most folks don’t like to think about death especially when it’s their own. However, it’s important to make plans for the inevitable for the people they are going to leave behind.
Tuerk said Google’s new feature will help folks plan their digital afterlife, protecting their security and privacy while making it easier for loved ones after a death.
Users can set the Inactive Account Manager up by visiting the settings page of their Google Account. From here, they will need to selection options for every Google Service – Gmail, YouTube, Picasa Web Albums and Google+.
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