I came across an interesting concept today, and must admit the idea had never crossed my mind. After reading further about it and doing some thinking while in the shower, I realized: this makes a lot of sense. And, furthermore, I discovered I am totally unprepared for the inevitable virtual hand-off of digital assets to my heirs when I kick the bucket.
But wait, let’s back up a sec, here.
We have the trusty old safe deposit boxes at your formerly trusty old bank down the road. There, you stuff emergency documentation, that old, strange ring you were willed but never wear. And, of course, that collectible Beatles album. When you die, someone will get the loot.
But the world is a changing place. Many of those same assets that were once physical are now digital. Take, for example, the $200,000 worth of downloads you’ve purchased from iTunes. Well, sure, maybe it’s more like $200, but someday it could be more (especially now that Apple is essentially jacked up song pricing to $1.29 per song, under the guise of so-called multi-tier pricing). And what about all those online passwords?
There are some innovative folks who are seeking to offer you virtual peace of mind, for a price. In this case $50 per year for Legacy Locker as one example.
Just enter all your passwords to various online “assets” and the service does the rest, ensuring that your children will receive all your Facebook “pokes” and Tweets while you look on in a halo in the sky… what!? No BlackBerry service in the heavens? Probably not. Hell, yes. Heaven, no. That’s for the iPhone.
[Source, USA Today: What happens to your digital life after death?]