Have you mentioned Facebook, or any other social media or social networking site, in your Last Will and Testament? I don’t mean as a beneficiary. Have you given any thought to what would happen to your social media postings, photos, and pages in the event of your death? You may be surprised to find that without official legal authority, such as a specific provision in your Last Will and Testament authorizing your spouse or your Executor to discontinue these accounts and locations, the companies such as Facebook don’t have to take the pages down. Another consideration for thought – do you back up your photos, journals, musings, and business matters “in the cloud”? What do you want to happen to your property “in the cloud” when you can’t oversee it? Make a decision and let someone know.
What do you want to have happen to your online presence, when you die? I hope you’ll think about this now – while you’re living and breathing and not in a crisis. Then, take the appropriate actions. Include your decision and desires in your Last Will and Testament. Include the authority to act on your behalf in your general power of attorney so that your postings can be closed in the event of your absence and at your direction.
Remember, what you put online will “live” in perpetuity and then plan accordingly.
© Joy T. Melton, Hindson & Melton LLC April 24, 2013