What Happens to Your Data After You Die?

Have you ever wondered what would happen to all the things you posted on social media, or into a genealogy website, after you die? It turns out that there are some steps that have been put in place to deal with accounts made by a person who has since become deceased. Let your loved ones know what you want done with your digital life.

Everplans is a secure, digital archive of everything your loved ones will need should something happen to you. It has helpful information about how to create a digital estate plan, how to close accounts after someone has died, how to eliminate all the skeletons in your closet, and more.

Ancestry.com
It is not possible to delete an account on Ancestry.com. You can, however, cancel an Ancestry.com subscription. An Ancestry.com forum post about this topic has some good advice. One person suggests that you make your family tree public. That way, if none of your loved ones are able to access your Ancestry.com account after you have passed away – they will at least be able to see the family tree you put together. They can take screenshots of it or manually copy it down.

FamilySearch
The FamilySearch Wiki says that it is possible to delete a FamilySearch account. To do it, you need to send an email to [email protected] requesting that the unwanted account be deleted. It is unclear what happens to the data that was in a deleted FamilySearch account.

Before you delete your deceased loved one’s FamilySearch account, take the time to figure out if they signed up for FamilySearch through a third-party login such as Facebook or Twitter. If so, remember to go in and revoke FamilySearch access from their social media account.

Facebook
People tend to use their Facebook account as a place to put family history. It is common to see photos of newborn babies – and more photos as those children grow. People post photos from a family event like a wedding or birthday party.

Facebook allows people to make a special request for a deceased person’s account. You can ask to have their Facebook account removed, or to memorialize their account. Facebook will require you to send them a scan of your loved one’s death certificate.

Twitter
It is possible to request that certain imagery be removed from a deceased family member’s Twitter account. Twitter might not remove what you ask them to – based on the newsworthiness of the content. There is a simple form you can fill out to request the deactivation of a deceased person’s Twitter account.

Related Articles on FamilyTree.com:

* Make Copies of What You Post on Ancestry.com

* Preserve Your Family Photos on Crestleaf

* Advantages of Writing Your Own Obituary