Are you leaving your loved ones digital legacies or headaches?

Have you ever thought about how your online accounts, such as Instagram or Netflix, should be managed after you’re gone? Unless you leave behind their passwords, it might be difficult for your loved ones to access or cancel your accounts.

The National Consumer Affairs Center highlighted on Wednesday an increasing number of consultations regarding "digital legacies" — data and online services left behind when someone dies. These consultations often involve password-related issues and difficulties encountered by next of kin trying to access or cancel subscriptions.

 

Around 78% of people in their 60s and almost half of those in their 70s access the internet on a smartphone, according to a survey in 2023 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Alongside this prevalence of smartphone use among the elderly, however, comes the more widespread challenges of managing the digital assets of a deceased loved one.

A common issue, for example, is unlocking the smartphones or computers of the deceased — a crucial step to confirming digital assets — without knowing the passwords, the consumer affairs center revealed.

A statement released by the center on Wednesday details a case in which a man in his 60s needed to unlock his late brother's smartphone to verify an internet bank account that the brother had opened.

“I asked the mobile carrier's store to unlock the screen on his smartphone. However, they told me that they can reset the phone, but they cannot unlock the screen. Without being able to unlock it, I cannot check his digital assets,” the man was quoted as saying.

Subscription services that continue to bill a deceased person is another recurring issue, the center said.

A woman in her 80s who discovered a ¥1,000 ($6.50) charge on her late husband’s credit card statement was one of several who sought advice from the center on the matter. She revealed that upon contacting the credit card company, it suggested the charge might be for a smartphone security subscription.

“When I reached out to the subscription provider, they said I needed the ID and password to cancel immediately,” she said. “When I explained that I didn’t have the information, they told me cancellation wouldn’t be possible right away without it.”

Another issue pertains to the inheritance of online assets, which can be difficult to identify. Compounding this is the fact that a lot of these assets — online banking or e-payment systems — are hosted by entities that might not have physical branches in the country where the consumer is, resulting in a lot of back-and-forth correspondence, the center said.

The consumer affairs center advises the public to ensure that their family members have access to essential passwords in the event of emergencies. It has suggested several approaches to this, such as writing down passwords and masking them with correction tape that the bereaved can scrape off, then placing them in a secure location. Another is giving subtle hints, such as a partner's birthday, that only family members can decode.

Given that many contracts are now delivered via email rather than on paper, the center also urges the public to compile a list of services they subscribe to with service names, usernames and passwords, and communicate this information to their loved ones. It also recommends people utilize an "end-of-life note" to document their assets and final wishes to help ensure smoother transitions and reduce complications after their deaths.