What happens to your web stuff when you die? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Willravel · 10-15-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

What happens to your web stuff when you die?

Technology can do many wonderful things, but sadly it can't stop the Grim Reaper - so what happens to your web posts when you die? Will your photos, blogs and websites still be around for your grandchildren to read, or will your online presence disappear when you do?

The law is clear enough, as Struan Robertson, Legal Director with Pinsent Masons and Editor of OUT-LAW.com explains. "You can bequeath your copyright to others," he says. "So I can say in my will that I'm leaving all my rights in my photographs or website to a friend. If I don't do that, the copyright will belong to my estate - and in most cases it will survive for 70 years after my death."

Your estate may own the copyright, but that doesn't mean your stuff will stay online. "In most cases contracts will terminate with your death," Robertson says, "although it can depend on the terms of the contract."

Different approaches

Different sites have different approaches. On Facebook, accounts remain active until you deactivate them, and even then they're not deleted unless you specifically ask Facebook to shut down the account.

On Flickr and other Yahoo! services your account is non-transferable and legally speaking should die when you do, but in reality your account will remain active provided there's occasional activity - which can be as simple as logging in from time to time. If you don't have access to the log-in details you can't shut down somebody's photostream without sending Yahoo!'s legal compliance team a copy of the person's death certificate.

What about paid-for Flickr Pro accounts? If you aren't around to renew the subscription, your account simply reverts to a standard, free account - which means that some of your sets and high-res images may no longer be visible to visitors. Sets and images aren't deleted, though: if the account is upgraded again to a Pro account, the 'missing' images will reappear.

Keeping your website alive

With websites, things are more complicated. When you buy a domain name it's usually for a period of two years, and if you don't renew it at the end of that period it simply goes back on the virtual shelves for someone else to buy. Paid-for web space only stays up while the hosting bills are being paid, and free services usually close after a specified period of inactivity, typically 90 days.

That's not always the case, though: Wordpress.com doesn't delete inactive blogs at all, although it may change that policy due to the ongoing problem of blogs being hijacked by spammers and other undesirables.

According to Forbes magazine, if you're serious about keeping your online presence going you should appoint an executor, somebody who'll handle your affairs when you're gone. Leave him or her your logins and other key information, and if there's stuff you'd rather the family didn't see you can arrange for the executor to delete specific content from your computer or online accounts.

You don't have to do it in a will if you don't want to; an envelope marked "to be opened in the event of my death" is just as effective, provided of course your executor can find it. Think about money, too: if it's possible to pay for hosting or domains for a long period then do so; if it isn't, make sure you leave instructions and cash to cover the bills.

If all else fails, there's always the Internet Archive. It won't archive your Flickr pics or password-protected content, but it does a decent job of archiving publicly available web pages. If your site isn't already in the index, you can add it via Alexa.

We might not live forever, but some of our web pages may.

I have a complete record of all of my blogs, forum personas, etc. in my home which my brother is aware of. If I die unexpectedly, the responsibility to contact people and to maintain my various contributions to the cloud.

So what happens to your web stuff when you die?

snowy · 10-15-2008, 04:07 PM

My significant other is under instructions to delete all the extra crap (Facebook, MySpace, LiveJournal) and notify TFP, though it's likely that by the time I pass on, I'll have deleted my Facebook and MySpace anyways.

brownni89 · 10-15-2008, 04:20 PM

when i die - i will leave all my web stuff to clutter cyberspace forever!

Reese · 10-16-2008, 02:30 AM

I honestly don't care what happens to my shit when I die. I'm sure all of it would eventually disappear from all but a few archival databases. Facebook, myspace, sooner or later they'll all purge their databases of inactive accounts. Everyone does it. It's stupid not to get rid of the clutter.

BadNick · 10-16-2008, 03:43 AM

Whether I like it or not, parts of me will live on virtually forever because of the Wayback Machine archive...at least until the demise of that cool thing.

http://www.archive.org/index.php

Poppinjay · 10-16-2008, 03:50 AM

It's interesting. I rejoined a forum after a couple of years timeout. One of the threads is a cyber cafe where all types can post as long as politics is not mentioned.

Three dead, one ailing.

I backtracked to read the departed words. No grand farewell, as it should be. When Masky McDeath presses, the innertubes is the last thing on your mind.

If I die tomorrow, I pray that my posts clog the net and cause all of you to spend time exploring sky 2.0 and earth 3.1.

Cynosure · 10-16-2008, 05:32 AM

I thought this was going to be a "What happens to my pr0n collection and my bookmarks to all my favorite pr0n sites, when I die?" thread.

telekinetic · 10-16-2008, 05:52 AM

A 20 year old Marine friend of mine was killed in Iraq, and his mother was able to get his passwords for his myspace and facebook to turn them into memorials. I'm fairly sure they hadn't set this up beforehand.

dlish · 10-16-2008, 08:09 AM

i dont have much. just facebook and TFP and my photobucket really.

my hotmail account will die off in 90 or so days and vanish.

it really does not matter for me. i guess if i leave a footprint that would make the world a better place, then id be happy to leave my name in the sands. if not, then i'll quietly fade into the nothingness that is cyberspace.

Jinn · 10-16-2008, 09:00 AM

I have a dedicated webserver 800 feet underground in the Nevada desert that will activate at the moment of my death and begin destroying cyberspace as we know it.

In seriousness, I should probably think about this. I don't have a will, nor do I have any of my passwords or usernames or web personas documented. I highly doubt anyone (including my parents) could find them, nonetheless guess the passwords.

Bear Cub · 10-16-2008, 09:05 AM

Don't know, don't care.

Have more important things to think about, like the naked, big-breasted angels I'll see in the afterlife.

BadNick · 10-16-2008, 09:15 AM

...or the 72 Virgins. I might have that number wrong, but it'z a lot of 'em.

Jozrael · 10-16-2008, 09:16 AM

I think it'd be cool if my ancestors were given a peek into my life.

I'm not going to go about ensuring it until I'm like 80 though. If I die before then so be it.

ShaniFaye · 10-16-2008, 11:53 AM

Dont you mean your descendants?

Jinn · 10-16-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaniFaye

Dont you mean your descendants?

I almost posted the same, but I couldn't decide if it was too pedantic. Apparently not. People invert them so often, heh. It's the genealogist in ya, I bet.

mrklixx · 10-16-2008, 07:41 PM

I've willed mine to charity.

And won't she be surprised.

dlish · 10-16-2008, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrklixx

I've willed mine to charity.

And won't she be surprised.

she? whos shes?

mrklixx · 10-17-2008, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlish

she? whos shes?

Just any random girl named Charity.

Heres one:

Jozrael · 10-17-2008, 04:24 AM

Yes. I mean my descendants. I'm fully aware of this. Ty for the pointer, though ><

dlish · 10-17-2008, 05:27 AM

id give her my charity anyday of the week

Halx · 10-17-2008, 09:05 AM

All you guys are screwed!

skizziks · 10-17-2008, 09:13 AM

I´m with cybermike and others who say ¨don´t care, i´ll be dead.¨ i assume once i stop littering the internet with my dumb ass crap people will figure out i´m dead or whatever and move on.

anti fishstick · 10-24-2008, 08:23 AM

i've never thought about this. i don't really care. eventually my website will expire.

dlish · 10-24-2008, 12:30 PM

fishstick - unless you have an old free Tripod webpage that will stay there as long as the ads are there on the page...i know i have one floating around somewhere

Baraka_Guru · 10-24-2008, 12:42 PM

It all goes to the Internet Archive like everything else. Just like the article says. It actually keeps various versions of your web stuff. It's like the history of your web presence kept for posterity.

Merlocke · 11-03-2008, 05:22 AM

well if you don't donate, then Halx will specifically not back up your shit and POOF there goes your internet immortality.

AEI · 11-06-2008, 04:50 AM

As the the cyberpunk system collective, we should all embrace the cold hand of technology and shun humankind. Cybernetic emotions will bring us clear and icy peace. Pure neural silence will be our weapon and our victory.

Shauk · 08-19-2009, 10:31 PM

everything that you don't have locked down will be desecrated by spammers when the grievers come and go. I've seen people die, and all their friends flock to myspace to be like "oh i miss you"

fast forward a year later
"Oh I still miss you" amid the "click here to get a bigger erection" comments.

basically, I don't plan on leaving a public form of grieving online.

Crack · 08-19-2009, 11:15 PM

MyDeathSpace.com

julie0187 · 08-20-2009, 11:41 PM

I have been thinking about this for a long time and I'm glad someone finally asked the question!!! To make a long story short I was selling something on eBay when a guy bided on it and won blah blah blah months past and he still had not paid for it. Sooo being the nice person that I am I sent him a message asking if he was still alive and if so to get back to me. He still hasn’t gotten back to me.

10-15-2008, 04:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	My significant other is under instructions to delete all the extra crap (Facebook, MySpace, LiveJournal) and notify TFP, though it's likely that by the time I pass on, I'll have deleted my Facebook and MySpace anyways. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

10-16-2008, 02:30 AM	#4 (permalink)
Reese Delicious	I honestly don't care what happens to my shit when I die. I'm sure all of it would eventually disappear from all but a few archival databases. Facebook, myspace, sooner or later they'll all purge their databases of inactive accounts. Everyone does it. It's stupid not to get rid of the clutter. __________________ “It is better to be rich and healthy than poor and sick” - Dave Barry

10-16-2008, 03:50 AM	#6 (permalink)
Poppinjay You had me at hello Location: DC/Coastal VA	It's interesting. I rejoined a forum after a couple of years timeout. One of the threads is a cyber cafe where all types can post as long as politics is not mentioned. Three dead, one ailing. I backtracked to read the departed words. No grand farewell, as it should be. When Masky McDeath presses, the innertubes is the last thing on your mind. If I die tomorrow, I pray that my posts clog the net and cause all of you to spend time exploring sky 2.0 and earth 3.1. __________________ I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet

10-16-2008, 08:09 AM	#9 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	i dont have much. just facebook and TFP and my photobucket really. my hotmail account will die off in 90 or so days and vanish. it really does not matter for me. i guess if i leave a footprint that would make the world a better place, then id be happy to leave my name in the sands. if not, then i'll quietly fade into the nothingness that is cyberspace. __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

10-16-2008, 09:00 AM	#10 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	I have a dedicated webserver 800 feet underground in the Nevada desert that will activate at the moment of my death and begin destroying cyberspace as we know it. In seriousness, I should probably think about this. I don't have a will, nor do I have any of my passwords or usernames or web personas documented. I highly doubt anyone (including my parents) could find them, nonetheless guess the passwords. __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

10-15-2008, 04:20 PM	#3 (permalink)
brownni89 Upright	when i die - i will leave all my web stuff to clutter cyberspace forever!

10-16-2008, 03:43 AM	#5 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	Whether I like it or not, parts of me will live on virtually forever because of the Wayback Machine archive...at least until the demise of that cool thing. http://www.archive.org/index.php

10-16-2008, 05:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
Cynosure Psycho Location: the center of the multiverse	I thought this was going to be a "What happens to my pr0n collection and my bookmarks to all my favorite pr0n sites, when I die?" thread.

10-16-2008, 05:52 AM	#8 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	A 20 year old Marine friend of mine was killed in Iraq, and his mother was able to get his passwords for his myspace and facebook to turn them into memorials. I'm fairly sure they hadn't set this up beforehand.

10-16-2008, 09:05 AM	#11 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	Don't know, don't care. Have more important things to think about, like the naked, big-breasted angels I'll see in the afterlife. __________________ Living in the United Socialist States of America.

10-16-2008, 09:15 AM	#12 (permalink)
BadNick Riding the Ocean Spray Location: S.E. PA in U Sofa	...or the 72 Virgins. I might have that number wrong, but it'z a lot of 'em.

10-16-2008, 09:16 AM	#13 (permalink)
Jozrael Junkie	I think it'd be cool if my ancestors were given a peek into my life. I'm not going to go about ensuring it until I'm like 80 though. If I die before then so be it.

10-16-2008, 11:53 AM	#14 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	Dont you mean your descendants? __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

10-16-2008, 07:41 PM	#16 (permalink)
mrklixx President Rick Location: location location	I've willed mine to charity. And won't she be surprised. __________________ This post is content. If you don't like it then you are not content. Or perhaps just incontinent. This is not a link - Do not click here I hate animated avatars.

10-17-2008, 04:24 AM	#19 (permalink)
Jozrael Junkie	Yes. I mean my descendants. I'm fully aware of this. Ty for the pointer, though ><

10-17-2008, 05:27 AM	#20 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	id give her my charity anyday of the week __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

10-17-2008, 09:05 AM	#21 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	All you guys are screwed! __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

10-17-2008, 09:13 AM	#22 (permalink)
skizziks Insane Location: out west	I´m with cybermike and others who say ¨don´t care, i´ll be dead.¨ i assume once i stop littering the internet with my dumb ass crap people will figure out i´m dead or whatever and move on.

10-24-2008, 08:23 AM	#23 (permalink)
anti fishstick Post-modernism meets Individualism AKA the Clash Location: oregon	i've never thought about this. i don't really care. eventually my website will expire. __________________ And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anais Nin

10-24-2008, 12:30 PM	#24 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	fishstick - unless you have an old free Tripod webpage that will stay there as long as the ads are there on the page...i know i have one floating around somewhere __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

10-24-2008, 12:42 PM	#25 (permalink)
Baraka_Guru warrior bodhisattva Super Moderator Location: East-central Canada	It all goes to the Internet Archive like everything else. Just like the article says. It actually keeps various versions of your web stuff. It's like the history of your web presence kept for posterity. __________________ Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot

11-03-2008, 05:22 AM	#26 (permalink)
Merlocke Location: Canada	well if you don't donate, then Halx will specifically not back up your shit and POOF there goes your internet immortality. <insert shameless plug for more donations here> __________________ -=[ Merlocke ]=-

11-06-2008, 04:50 AM	#27 (permalink)
AEI Upright	As the the cyberpunk system collective, we should all embrace the cold hand of technology and shun humankind. Cybernetic emotions will bring us clear and icy peace. Pure neural silence will be our weapon and our victory.

08-19-2009, 10:31 PM	#28 (permalink)
Shauk Confused Adult Location: Spokane, WA	everything that you don't have locked down will be desecrated by spammers when the grievers come and go. I've seen people die, and all their friends flock to myspace to be like "oh i miss you" fast forward a year later "Oh I still miss you" amid the "click here to get a bigger erection" comments. basically, I don't plan on leaving a public form of grieving online.

08-19-2009, 11:15 PM	#29 (permalink)
Crack Misanthropic Location: Ohio! yay!	MyDeathSpace.com __________________ Crack, you and I are long overdue for a vicious bout of mansex. ~Halx

08-20-2009, 11:41 PM	#30 (permalink)
julie0187 Upright Location: NC	I have been thinking about this for a long time and I'm glad someone finally asked the question!!! To make a long story short I was selling something on eBay when a guy bided on it and won blah blah blah months past and he still had not paid for it. Sooo being the nice person that I am I sent him a message asking if he was still alive and if so to get back to me. He still hasn’t gotten back to me. __________________ ur money baby!!