With the growth in cloud based services such as social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter etc and the ability to buy e-books and movies to stream immediately within your account, it's all too easy to not consider what you actually own.
Who gets my kindle books when I die?
You currently have a choice where books are concerned. You can go into a branch of Waterstones (other booksellers are available) and buy a physical book. You can read it, use it stop a wonky table, give it as a gift and when you're tired with it, donate it to a charity shop who can then sell it on. And most importantly when you die, it can be passed on to your next of kin. The same cannot be said of ebooks that you purchased at the Kindle store (or similar). The thing is (and it's in the small print) you are not actually buying the book, merely a license to read the book. So when you die, the account just disappears. There is currently no way to bequeath an e-book. Personally I like books. It's a physical, tangible thing that you can feel and hold. I like the idea that if you buy a (real) book you could download a copy for the undeniable convenience of an e-reader.
Who Owns Your iTunes Library After Death?
All those lovely albums you bought from the itunes library? Yes you do own them to do with as you please. But that license is not transferrable. Within the terms of icloud service it states: Unless otherwise required by law, You agree that your Account is non-transferable and that any rights to your Apple ID or Content within your Account terminate upon your death. Upon receipt of a copy of a death certificate your Account may be terminated and all Content within your Account deleted. Contact iCloud Support at Https://Support.apple.com/Icloud for further assistance.
Also bear in mind that all your photographs from your iphone may also be stored within icloud so if you want to pass them on keep copies of everything locally. Along with your music, any movies you've purchased through the various online stores have the same policy so i'm afraid you wan't be able to sell them at the carboot sale!
Who owns my website data ?
This one is a little more nuanced. If you pay a Web Design Agency to create a site for you, you own the content. They will own the design (unless they have signed a copyright waiver) but you will be licensed to use it. Although you may be paying for the agency to host the site for you, you still own the content.
Where there is a difference is in Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms such as Wix, Squarespace, Shopify and so on. With these platforms where you pay monthly, if you miss a payment because your debit card had expired and you were on holiday and didn't get the notification you might find your site has been deleted by the time you get back. If you want true ownership of your site, especially if you're paying for Web Design and custom programming then you are best advised to use a self hosted platform such as Joomla, or Open Cart.
It's your data
Whether it's for personal use or business use, remember it's your data so make sure you keep copies of everything backed up to (ideally SSD) portable hard drives or memory sticks and stored safely. As to social media which I mentioned at the start of the article, it is possible within Facebook to specify instructions as to what will happen upon your death. You can request for your account to be Memorialised By Appointing A Legacy Contact.
