Opinion poll
Bitkom: Few people care about digital inheritance
What happens to social media profiles after death? They don’t have to disappear completely. photo
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
What happens to the email inbox or social media account after death – and who can decide about it? According to a survey, the majority of people don’t think about it.
Only a good third of Germans have cared about what happens to their email inboxes and social media profiles after their death. That comes from one Survey by the digital association Bitkom.
Only 16 percent of Internet users have regulated their digital estate, 21 percent have partially done so. Around half of internet users categorically exclude any regulation. According to the survey, another 15 percent plan to take care of their estate in the future.
“Everyone should take care early on what will happen to their digital heritage in the event of their own death,” advises Bitkom Managing Director Bernhard Rohleder, according to the statement. For example, an overview of all accounts, including user names and passwords, can be kept in a safe place at home or stored in a notarized will.
What happens if there are no regulations regarding digital inheritance?
“Unless anything else is stipulated in the will or power of attorney, the heirs become the owners of all of the deceased’s belongings, including the computer or smartphone – this also includes access to accounts on social media, for example,” says Rohleder. “Therefore, the decision as to whether the surviving relatives have access to their digital privacy after death should be made while they are still alive.”
After death, the profiles do not have to disappear completely. Some social platforms offer the option of converting personal pages into memorial profiles. According to the survey, this also corresponds to the wishes of many Internet users: A third of those surveyed want a digital life after death and want their own profile on social networks to continue to exist even after their death.
For the survey by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom, 1,178 people in Germany aged 16 and over were interviewed by telephone from July 10th to August 12th, including 1,014 Internet users.