Digital legacy management remains inadequately addressed. While registering on a platform is usually straightforward, deleting accounts after death is often considerably more complicated. Far too often, a deceased person’s memberships, subscriptions, or online accounts remain active, and fees, contributions, or license costs continue to accrue—costs for which the relatives could ultimately be held liable.
In some cases, assets or balances are even held in online accounts of which the heirs are unaware. Digital assets encompass all digital content and data a person leaves behind. This includes emails, social media profiles, bank and shopping accounts, as well as digital possessions such as ebooks, music files, cryptocurrencies, or NFTs.
Funeral services often offer support by advising and assisting relatives in managing their loved ones’ digital legacy. ” Besides the financial burden that can arise from subscriptions or memberships, there is often emotionally valuable content in social media accounts that requires special protection and careful handling, ” says lawyer István Cocron.
Depending on the deceased’s wishes and legal and contractual provisions, surviving relatives or heirs will gain access to the digital accounts. The cost for an initial estate appraisal is approximately €100, while additional fees may apply depending on the complexity of the case. Both ongoing expenses and any income generated by the digital accounts are considered part of the estate.
The settlement of a digital estate involves identifying all of a person’s digital data, accounts, and online assets. This process begins with proof of death, usually by providing a death certificate. Specialized service providers are often responsible for this. Following this, an inventory of all digital assets is compiled. This involves locating all of the deceased’s accounts and online data. Various techniques are used for this, such as interviewing relatives, reviewing personal documents, and employing automated search methods.
“ Once the digital assets have been identified, they must be secured. This may mean changing passwords or transferring data to protected storage media to prevent unauthorized access while still allowing access for the heirs. Finally, legal aspects of inheriting digital data and applicable data protection laws must be considered, ” explains lawyer István Cocron. In the final step, the digital estate is handed over to the heirs, who decide whether and how contracts should be terminated, data deleted, or continued, according to the deceased’s wishes.
