Feed: Slashdot
Feed Link: https://slashdot.org/
---

Title: Put Your Usernames and Passwords In Your Will, Advises Japan's
Government

Link: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/24/11/22/03402...

The Register's Simon Sharwood reports: Japan's National Consumer Affairs
Center on Wednesday suggested citizens start "digital end of life planning"
and offered tips on how to do it. The Center's somewhat maudlin advice is
motivated by recent incidents in which citizens struggled to cancel
subscriptions their loved ones signed up for before their demise, because
they didn't know their usernames or passwords. The resulting "digital legacy"
can be unpleasant to resolve, the agency warns, so suggested four steps to
simplify ensure our digital legacies aren't complicated: - Ensuring family
members can unlock your smartphone or computer in case of emergency; -
Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords; - Consider
putting those details in a document intended to be made available when your
life ends; - Use a service that allows you to designate someone to have
access to your smartphone and other accounts once your time on Earth ends.
The Center suggests now is the time for it to make this suggestion because it
is aware of struggles to discover and resolve ongoing expenses after death.
With smartphones ubiquitous, the org fears more people will find themselves
unable to resolve their loved ones' digital affairs -- and powerless to stop
their credit cards being charged for services the departed cannot consume.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

---
VRSS v2.1.180528