Google has opened a new service to let people control what happens to their email, online photos and blogposts saved in its accounts, as concern grows over what happens to users’ “digital life” when they die.

Called Inactive Account Manager – which Google’s Andreas Tuerk accepts is “not a great name” – it will let users decide whether to trigger it if they haven’t logged in for three, six, nine or 12 months, and then either delete their data or send all or selected elements to a nominated person of their choice.

The move comes after increasing concern about problems encountered by families who have been trying to access or shut down accounts on sites such as Facebook after the sudden death of relatives, and amid controversy over the proposed “right to be forgotten” that the European Union is trying to introduce over digital information.

See The Full Article – The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/apr/12/google-inactive-account-manager-digital-death

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