Tag Archives: decedent

Can’t Remember Your Password? There’s a Pill for That!

A recent presentation by Jonathan LeBlanc, PayPal’s Global Head of Developer Advocacy, argues that passwords are insecure and need to be replaced. One replacement he suggested is a pill that you swallow containing a microchip. Then, your computer or smartphone … Continue reading

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Appointing a Legacy Contact for a Facebook Account After Death

Facebook now allows you to appoint a “legacy contact” for your Facebook account after you die. Previously, after a user died, Facebook would not allow anyone else to access or modify the deceased user’s Facebook account, but the account could … Continue reading

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Video Clip: Family Fights to Access Late Son’s Digital Data

Minnesota’s KSTP-TV Eyewitness News ran a video story on January 20, 2015, by Tom Hauser about the Anderson family who tragically lost their nineteen-year-old son, Jake. Their son’s death was ruled accidental, but the family wants answers about the events … Continue reading

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Keeping a Secure List of Passwords, Online Accounts, and Digital Property

An important part of a comprehensive estate plan (planning ahead for incapacity and death) is preparing a complete list of your passwords, online accounts, and other digital property—and keeping it up to date. This list helps fiduciaries and family members … Continue reading

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Video Clip: Family Wants Access to Son’s Digital Data After Death

Minnesota’s KMSP-TV Fox 9 News ran a video story on September 9, 2014, by Ted Haller about a family wanting access to their deceased nineteen-year-old son’s digital data. They have been seeking access to his text messages, e-mails, and Facebook … Continue reading

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Delaware Enacts Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act

On August 12, 2014, Delaware’s governor signed into law the Delaware Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which is based on an earlier draft of the recently-approved Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Asset Act. Delaware’s new law takes effect January … Continue reading

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Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (UFADAA)

On July 16, 2014, the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (UFADAA) was approved by the Uniform Law Commission. My colleague Gene Hennig and I originally proposed this uniform law in May of 2011, and I’m very happy with … Continue reading

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Estate Planning and Tax Issues for Bitcoin and Other Virtual Currencies

For estate planning and tax advisers, it’s important to know about all of a person’s valuable and significant assets, including digital assets, so that they can help the person properly plan ahead for incapacity, death, and taxes. New types of … Continue reading

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Google and Microsoft Update Their E-Mail Privacy Policies

Google and Microsoft have both recently updated their policies regarding the privacy of e-mail contents. The updates are about different issues and were initiated in response to different events. Google updated their Terms of Service agreement on April 14, 2014, … Continue reading

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Facebook Updates Its Policies for Deceased Users

According to a February 21, 2014, news release, Facebook has made two updates to its policies regarding the accounts of deceased users. Previously, Facebook allowed one of two options for a deceased user’s account. First, the personal representative of a … Continue reading

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