How do you set up what happens to a Facebook, Google, and Apple account after death?

We publish extremely much data about ourselves on the Internet, and several of them may even be sensitive data that should only be shared with you or your loved ones. But what happens to the information of the user who dies? How can they be set to get into the hands of the nearest or completely removed? The Android Authority portal addressed this topic.

Survivors may need some important data

When a family member dies, how do you access important data that only a poor person could access? Is all the information on the cloud storage, memories in the online photo gallery and other important data lost forever?

Several technology companies are also thinking about this problem. In this article, we will focus on the American giants Facebook, Google and Apple. We are expected to share the most personal information with these companies during our lifetime.

How does it deal with the death of a Facebook user?

Facebook, or Meta, has its own strategy, which it has been using for years. During his life, the user can choose one person who will take care of the Facebook profile after his death. The selected contact can declare the profile owner dead and then take control of his account. However, he does not log in directly to the profile, but can change the privacy settings of the poor person or view his posts through his account.

A confidential person has the opportunity to request the creation of a memory or the complete deletion of a profile from the social network. If you do not want your Facebook to exist even after your death, you can pre-select the option to completely delete the profile after declaring a trusted person poor. The second option is to create a memory account. It is actually a Facebook profile that “freezes in time”.

Friends will not receive notifications about the individual’s birthday. However, the confidential will still be able to accept friend requests, change profile photos, or change privacy settings for timeline posts. Posting can also be a nice way to remind a friend of a poor person that a significant day is coming (for example, at what age.)

If the account holder allows it, the confidential contact will be able to download all content from Facebook to the computer, including published photos, videos, posts, events, contact information or friends list. However, private messages can be considered lost forever, as this is too sensitive information.

If a trusted person is not selected, a friend or family can contact Facebook with a request to create a reminder for the dead, or it is possible to request the removal of a profile from the social network. However, it will be necessary to send a confirmation or certificate of death. You can find the settings of the authorized person on Facebook at this link.

How does it handle the death of a Google user?

Here’s how to resolve this issue with Google. Everything revolves around the so-called “Inactive Account Manager”. In Slovak, it is simply called “Inactive Account Management”. With this tool, you can set who you want to share your data with after a period of time without any activity.

This means using Gmail or using a service offered by Google. This period can be set to three, six, twelve to eighteen months. Google will try to contact you by email and phone number before your information should be sent to you. If he does not receive an answer, the account holder will practically be considered dead. You can choose which contacts your data should be shared with.

You can also set your account to be automatically canceled. However, your selected contacts will still have three months to download the data you allow. If a user fails to set up inactive account management, those closest to them may send a request to Google to make the necessary data available. A certificate of death will be required for these operations. Note that saved passwords will not be shared on Google and cannot be enabled. The authorized person for the Google Account can be found at this link.

How does Apple’s death work?

Apple is a company known for providing maximum privacy and security for its users. IPhones, iPhones and Mac users can now choose their confidential contact. However, this option has only recently been made available in iOS 15.2, iPadOS 15.2 and macOS 12.1. All mentioned versions of operating systems were introduced only in December 2021.

These trusted persons can be allowed to access the data associated with your Apple ID. So these are photos, messages, notes, files, applications and device backups. However, it will not be possible to reveal stored passwords in the Keyfob application. Access to music, movies, books, and other subscriptions purchased by the user will also be denied. You can add your trusted contact by going to the “Passwords and Security” section on iPhone and iPad. On a Mac, this setting is in System Preferences.

The data will not reach the selected person just after a certain period of inactivity. The person must first request access to the data and present a certificate of death. Also, don’t forget to copy a special passkey, consisting of a QR code, or tens of units, zeros, and the letters X and Y, respectively. You will need an email with an Apple ID (no password) and other documents, depending on your region.

Obviously, Apple takes the privacy of its users really seriously. Without the set contacts, the acquisition of the poor’s personal data will be practically impossible or extremely demanding.

So which company best handles the poor man’s data?

We think Google has a really sophisticated and perhaps best system in place. The user sets what exactly he wants to share with and after a long period of inactivity. You will also be pleased to be able to add up to ten trusted contacts.

For comparison, he mentions that Facebook allows you to add only one person. Apple has it the most complicated and getting to the data of a poor person who has not chosen any trustworthy person will be a complete art. For example, the loss of a special access key can also cause the problem. Which way do you like the most?