In the past you inherited an antique clock, some jewelry or a photo album. Nowadays? A phone full of memories that nobody can visit. On the funeral inspiration day in Fluitenberg it was not only about coffins and mourning photography, but also about something that many people have never thought about: your digital legacy.
“It causes unrest in families,” says funeral director Björn Schmitz. “Everything is in that phone nowadays. And if we can’t get in, we have a problem.”
He is regularly sitting at the table with people after a death. “Then the questions come: what was his password? Where are the photos? Who should we invite for the funeral?” Many people think they have their affairs in order. But after choosing the favorite songs you are not ready yet. “Digital stuff? Almost nobody thinks about that.”
But then comes Digital Life Legacy Look around the corner. A company that helps relatives to access digital devices. “We can open phones and laptops,” says founder Sander van der Meer, former police officer in digital forensic research. But it is not cheap: hacking a telephone costs around 800 euros.
Van der Meer: “Everyone goes to death and everyone has a telephone, that is two certainties in life.” And that causes difficult choices. Because if you get access, you will see everything. “We don’t do a moral selection. Sometimes we would rather not see things that relatives would rather not have seen.”
Did you know that the Privacy Act (AVG) only applies to living? If someone dies, you can legally search his or her phone. But that does not mean that it is always wise. Van der Meer: “Twenty years ago you found a diary. Now that diary is digital and unreachable without a password.”
85 percent of people have not properly arranged their digital legacy, according to figures from the alliance digitally living together. And that causes unrest in an already emotional period. “A wish list on your computer is fun, but if nobody can add it, you will not benefit,” says Schmitz.
If you have to do without a phone, you feel dismissed. Imagine how that feels for your relatives, if you are no longer there and they cannot reach it either. That is why, according to Van der Meer, it is useful to at least share the passwords of your laptop and mobile with your loved ones. Yet it remains difficult. “Sure you want to have everything arranged at the front. But then you don’t have to change your passwords from now on. Yes, it remains complicated.”