Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog
Gerry Beyer, author of the Wills, Trusts & Estate Professors Blog has an interesting article on a novil service called Deathswitch. This service could be used to provide some of the services I have discussed in relation to the Digital Asset Trust.
There are many things that people may want to be handled a certain way after their death. Deathswitch.com, offers peoplethe ability to send messages or inform people in the event they are critically injured or disabled.
Deathswitch is an automated system that regularly prompts users for a password. If the user fails to respond timely, the system assumes that he or she is dead or critically disabled and e-mails pre-scripted messages. Each person can pick the frequency of the prompts and the maximum time to respond. These time-frames can range from one day to one year. Gerry Beyer states that some of the ways in which Deathswitch can be used include:
- Sending computer passwords to co-workers and family
- Providing loved ones with bank account and other financial information
- Making known one’s final wishes
- Sharing unspeakable secrets
- Leaving love notes
- Having the last word in an argument
- Providing the loved ones with funeral instructions
Neil Hendershot also discusses this service on his blog where he ponders the ramifications of a premature discharge of an intended postmortem email message
I have also discussed the need for this type of service in my articles on Digital Asset Trusts.