Losing a loved one is never easy but if you've ever been through the experience, you already know that things can be much less complicated if they had a will in place. But the question still remains as to what to do with digital assets of the deceased - things like their Facebook, Twitter and e-mail accounts as well as devices.
Delaware has come up with a solution. As outlined in the recently passed Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets and Digital Accounts Act, heirs of an estate and the executor of the will are given the same power over digital assets as they are physical belongings.
Daryl Scott, the lead author of the bill, correctly points out that this problem is an example of something we see all the time in our hi-tech age: our laws simply haven't kept up with advancements in technology.
Whether or not the law is actually a good idea, however, is still up for debate.
Some would argue that having the ability to moderate or close social media accounts after a loved one dies would be of great value but others believe it's little more than an invasion of privacy.
Jim Halpert is an attorney with DLA Piper and the director of the State Privacy and Security Coalition. In an interview with Ars, Halpert said the law doesn't take into account the privacy of third parties that communicated with the deceased before they died.
True enough, such communications (think e-mail here) could have been highly confidential in nature and have an impact on those still living.
What's your take on the new law? Do you believe those in charge of your estate should have access to your digital assets upon your death or should said accounts and their content follow you to the grave?