On the occasion of World Password Day, which is celebrated on May 2, the developers of the security product evaluated the process that awaits those who want to close the accounts of the deceased on the Internet. According to the authors of the study, more than a third (36%) of the platforms analyzed have provided information on this topic on their websites or other official accounts, but the requirements are very different.
“As the Internet generations get older, more and more often we have to say goodbye to people who had created many virtual accounts. Our latest research reveals that loved ones face complex challenges when it comes to fully de-identifying the internet. Although it is sometimes not possible to close some accounts, because we don’t always remember all of them ourselves, it is important to take care of at least the majority of them,” says Tomas Smalakys, head of security product technologies.
You may need as many as 20 documents
The research revealed that only less than a third of the platforms that publicly publish information about the closing of the deceased’s accounts offer their users to fill out a special form online, while the rest encourage them to contact the service center or the legal department, contact them by phone, e-mail. by mail, send a letter by mail or even register for a live meeting with platform managers.
Removing a deceased loved one’s accounts can also require more than 20 different documents. True, this number may increase depending on the available platforms or country requirements. Typically, the applicant is asked to provide an identity document (e.g. passport, ID card, driver’s license), a death certificate of a loved one, and evidence that the applicant has the legal authority to manage another person’s accounts.
According to T. Smalakis, some platforms also ask for an obituary, death certificate, marriage certificate, will, official power of attorney and other legal documents. Among the analyzed platforms, cases were found where relatives of the deceased are asked to send a selfie in which they are holding a personal identification document.
According to a representative of the security product, in order to close the accounts of a deceased loved one online, people also need to gather as much information as possible about the deceased. Platforms usually require the deceased person’s real name, username, e-mail address. postal address and telephone number. It is less common to be asked to provide a social security number, account number or payment details. “You can be exceptionally close to someone and still not know all their emails. email addresses that the person used. After all, we don’t ask the relative his account numbers and under which name – Vincas or Vincentas – he registered when creating another account. After loved ones leave, these seemingly small details can complicate the whole process of trying to eliminate someone else’s life online,” says T. Smalakys.
Why is it important to take care of the deceased’s accounts?
Only a quarter of the analyzed platforms publicly state that they delete inactive accounts. Most of them after the user has not used the account for at least two years, but some only after seven years. According to T. Smalakis, these results reveal that if you do not proactively close the accounts of your loved ones, they may not disappear from the Internet. This can have both financial and security implications.
According to the research, even 73 percent Internet users of the analyzed platforms are offered a paid membership (eng. subscription). Therefore, if the deceased loved one paid for the services offered by the platform, they will continue to be charged. This can be avoided by first taking care to close accounts in banks and other payment platforms. Once they are closed, the platforms will no longer be able to process payments.
Idle accounts are also very attractive to hackers, says the security product’s technology manager. With rapidly changing cyber security requirements, unused accounts quickly become vulnerable because they may be protected by weak passwords or have not been set up for additional authentication emails. by mail, SMS code or another way. By breaking into the deceased’s online account, hackers can steal not only the deceased person’s information, but also those of his relatives, such as family photos, correspondence or documents.
Tips to make the process easier
According to a recent study by another security product, internet users have an average of 168 accounts online. Not necessarily all of them are used – this number also includes accounts that their owner may have forgotten about. Even if it is not possible to find and close all the accounts, you should at least take care of the ones known to the loved one.
T. Smalakys says that in order to close the accounts of a dead person on the Internet, you should start with banks and other financial platforms. Research reveals that closing these accounts can take the most time and effort. If the accounts cannot be closed quickly due to inheritance or other sensitive issues, the banks should at least be informed of the death of a loved one. After the loved one leaves, you should immediately contact his mobile operator, as some accounts can be linked to a phone number.
In addition, the expert advises to encourage family members to use the digital legacy services offered by the largest Internet platforms. digital legacy) functions. Facebook, Apple, Google and other progressive companies allow the Internet user to designate a contact who will be given access to the account after your death. Password managers also offer this feature.
Methodology: NordPass ranks the world’s 100 most popular online platforms based on information provided by SimilarWeb and Statista. They analyzed the information publicly published by Internet platforms on their websites and other official accounts belonging to them. The researchers assessed how many platforms provide information related to closing deceased accounts, what processes they offer, what documents and information they request, and what policies they have for inactive accounts.
