“He was keeping a journal of sorts to put together for future history,” John Ellsworth told BBC News. “He wanted to make sure that his generation, as well as following generations, have actual words from somebody who was there.”
But Mr Ellsworth Snr was shocked when Yahoo! turned down a request to release his dead son’s e-mails, on the basis of privacy.
Recognising the emotions involved, Yahoo! says it must nevertheless honour the terms of service which all 40 million US Yahoo! account holders must agree to. These state that survivors have no rights to the e-mail accounts of the deceased. Yahoo! accounts are deactivated after 90 days if they have not been used. — — Who owns your e-mails? (BBC News)
I should really write down my passwords and such and leave them in a safe place, just in case…
I always think of Kirk’s famous “last taped orders”, to be played in the event that he is dead.
some of the slashdot crowd have discussed having a cron job running that will send a series of emails containing the kind of information other people will need after you’re gone if you’re not there to reset it periodically.
I could see how that would come in handy, but it could be potentially embarassing if you’re just laid up in the hospital or forget. After 2 or three times, the “if you’re reading this I’m already dead” emails might get a little annoying.
A better solution is probably to just write the info down, put it in a tamper proof envelope, and tell someone about it. You’ll know if they’ve accessed it, but they’ll know where it is after you’re gone.