- Japan is urging people to include usernames and passwords in their wills
- It could lessen the burden (and financial implications) on loved ones
- Removing old accounts is also a good thing for the environment
Japan’s National Consumer Affairs Center is urging citizens to leave their usernames and passwords in their wills in its fight against unnecessary online content.
Leaving family members access to their online accounts is hoped to ease the burden on those who may struggle to manage the digital legacy of their deceased family member.
However, there is another positive side effect in that closing down unused accounts will lessen the impact on data centers, therefore reducing environmental damage associated with cloud storage.
Japanese citizens urged to share passwords in wills
Families often face difficulties cancelling subscriptions or closing down accounts due to a lack of access to usernames and passwords, which can result in complications in the best scenario, and ongoing expenses where frequent payments are concerned.
As part of its ‘digital end-of-life planning’ proposition, Japan is asking its citizens to ensure that family members can unlock devices in the event of emergencies.
On the more morbid side of things, the country’s residents are being asked to keep a list of subscriptions, user IDs and passwords, and to store them in an accessible place for family members to reach.
The news is a welcome move given the widespread adoption of smartphones and associated online accounts; the Center is anticipating an increasing number of unresolved digital affairs after people die.
Some services already include such features. Meta and Apple are two companies that allow users to assign legacy contacts to manage their accounts after passing, however the reality is that most online accounts lack this functionality.
Moreover, to simplify matters, storing login credentials in a password manager and sharing only the login to that makes it much simpler to ensure that all passwords are being passed on to family members.
Via The Register