Google unveils service to manage digital afterlife

SAN FRANCISCO: -- Google unveiled a service designed to manage one of the most troublesome problems of digital life - how to deal with the accounts of people who die.

Called the Inactive Account Manager, the service offers users of Google’s Gmail, Drive, Google+, Picasa and other Google service an easy-to-use template that specifies what should happen in the event they die or become inactive for a specified period of time.

The service is found in users’ account settings page. It allows users to choose whether to have their data deleted or made available to specified trusted contacts.

Users can specify whether they want the service to take effect after three, six, nine or 12 months of inactivity. They can also specify different actions for different service such as giving an attorney power to go through emails and granting family members access to pictures in Picasa.

Before the system cuts in Google will notify account holders via text message and email to a designated address, Google said.

"Not many of us like thinking about death - especially our own. But making plans for what happens after you’re gone is really important for the people you leave behind," said Google product manager Andreas Tuerk in a blog posting.

"We hope that this new feature will enable you to plan your digital afterlife - in a way that protects your privacy and security - and make life easier for your loved ones after you’re gone."


-- The Nation 2013-04-12

Very good idea. It has occurred to me before that a lot of important information would be inaccessible to others should I suddenly die or be incapacitated. This sounds like an easy and pretty reliable way to deal with the issue.

so after you die just have to click the activation link and it all comes to work

does anyone really cares what happens after you die ? someone claiming they are you from a past life ?

loooooooool

most important is who gets your money, oh wait, thai governement has made that clear, your wife or ex-wife and kids

so after you die just have to click the activation link and it all comes to work

Note to self, exclude index finger from body donated to science.

does anyone really cares what happens after you die ? someone claiming they are you from a past life ?

loooooooool

most important is who gets your money, oh wait, thai governement has made that clear, your wife or ex-wife and kids

I care. I want all the money I earn online going to my family, not to get lost in the system, which would mean the big companies keeping it.

I though most people care about what happens after they die. That's why people make wills, etc.

In most countries, your wife/husband and kids would get your money. So not sure why you're single out Thai government. Would you rather someone other than your family get it?

so after you die just have to click the activation link and it all comes to work

No. It's activated automatically after a set period of time. e.g 3, 6, 9, 12 months.

I guess the moral to this story is not to store important information with Google. Anyone keeping really important information online...well ...it can't 't be that important

As for money and wills....banks and lawyers are for that purpose not Google.

does anyone really cares what happens after you die ? someone claiming they are you from a past life ?

loooooooool

most important is who gets your money, oh wait, thai governement has made that clear, your wife or ex-wife and kids

And especially the government, more than the wife or kids.

'Called the Inactive Account Manager'

I guess 'Google Corpse' was too controversial.

DIG

I guess the moral to this story is not to store important information with Google. Anyone keeping really important information online...well ...it can't 't be that important

As for money and wills....banks and lawyers are for that purpose not Google.

Perhaps you can suggest where and how you would safely store this information in Thailand.