Legacy Contacts and Safeguarding Your Digital Legacy
August 8, 2024
Even though it’s decisively counterintuitive, most of us plan as if we will live forever.
Spoiler alert: We won’t.
Life’s journey often consists of significant markers—events or achievements that shape our identity, values, and lives. Consider graduation, marriage, childbirth, and retirement. These universally celebrated events bring families together to honor these significant accomplishments. Each of these markers requires thoughtful planning and financial commitment. Yet, the most predictable event of all, death, is missing from that list.
Without planning for our death, we are apt to leave behind a smorgasbord of information gaps and vulnerabilities that frequently land with a deafening thud on our loved ones. And now, following a few decades of living codependently with the technical and digital world, there’s a new kind of gap created when you die: Your digital presence.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your digital presence after you pass away? Since we live in a social media and digital culture, it’s wise to consider this relatively new vulnerability, which was inconceivable just a few short years ago.
Introducing Legacy Contacts
A “social media legacy contact” is a trusted individual you designate to manage your digital accounts and data when you are no longer able to. This legacy contact representative can access your accounts, manage your data, and make decisions about your digital legacy. The goal is to ensure your digital assets are preserved and handled according to your wishes.
Apple offers a comprehensive iPhone legacy contact feature for managing data stored in iCloud and other Apple services. Similarly, many social media platforms (Facebook/Instagram/X) provide legacy contact options or quasi-options to manage your accounts posthumously.
Setting up a social media legacy contact is a crucial step that adds considerable advantages in managing your digital legacy. It is a predictable fix that ensures that your digital presence is handled according to your wishes, providing peace of mind for both you and your loved ones.
Apple Device Legacy Contacts
Setting up a legacy contact sounds more daunting than it is. There are no labyrinthine instructions; it’s pretty straightforward and easy to follow. Perhaps the most difficult thought problem is choosing your legacy contact. Regardless, here’s how it works:
Designate Your Legacy Contact
You can designate one or more legacy contacts with access to your Apple ID account and data after your death.
Access to Your Data
Your legacy contact can access data stored in iCloud, including photos, messages, notes, files, and more. They can also manage your device and data settings.
Privacy Protection
Apple ensures that the legacy contact can only access the data you’ve permitted. Financial information and licensed media (such as movies, music, and books) are inaccessible.
A Step-By-Step Guide
●Open Settings: On your iPhone or iPad, open the Settings app.
●Tap on Your Name: This will take you to your Apple ID settings.
●Select ‘Password & Security’: Scroll down and tap on ‘Legacy Contact’.
●Add Legacy Contact: Follow the prompts to add a legacy contact. You can choose from your contacts or add a new contact.
●Share the Access Key: Once added, Apple will provide you with an access key. Share this key with your legacy contact, who will need it to access your data.
Social Media Legacy Contacts
Many social media platforms also provide legacy contact features to manage your accounts posthumously. Here’s a brief overview:
Facebook allows you to add a legacy contact who can manage your memorialized account. They can write posts, respond to friend requests, and update your profile picture. Here are the steps:
●Open Facebook: Log in to your Facebook account.
●Click on the arrow: in the top right corner and select ‘Settings & Privacy’.
●Select ‘Memorialization Settings’: Under the General settings, find and click on ‘Memorialization Settings’.
●Add Legacy Contact: Add the person you want as your legacy contact and set their permissions.
●Inform your legacy contacts: It’s crucial to let them know that you’ve added them.
What Kind of Information Does a Legacy Contact Access?
Legacy contacts have access to a variety of information, depending on the platform:
- Apple: Photos, messages, notes, files, device backups, and (somewhat) more.
- Facebook: Profile management, new friend requests, pinned posts.
- Instagram: Ability to memorialize or request account deletion.
Is a Legacy Contact Right for You?
Only you can answer this question but when considering a legacy contact, it’s important to avoid acting impulsively. Thoughtful planning is crucial, as setting up a legacy contact can offer significant advantages in managing your digital legacy. It ensures that your digital presence is handled according to your wishes and provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
It’s essential to understand that by designating a legacy contact, you’ll be sharing information posthumously. However, Apple users can exclude certain data by storing it on third-party sites or in Apple Keychain.
By following the steps outlined above, you can easily set up legacy contacts on your Apple devices and social media accounts. Make sure to keep your legacy contacts informed about their responsibilities and share any necessary access keys or information with them.
