Colleagues, has your institution articulated what you can/will/won't do when a request is made for access to a deceased employee's email or other information assets (e.g., by a spouse or the executor of the estate)? This is hardly a new issue, I know, but has become more exigent as folks who are savvy enough to be proactively concerned with the disposition of their electronic information assets after death are wanting to write their wishes into some kind of directive, and want to know how to write such a directive. This has in turn has prompted many of the social media giants to state what they will permit and how to ask for it - though there is wide span in those stances, e.g.:
· Google: Plan your digital afterlife with Inactive Account Manager<http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2013/04/plan-your-digital-afterlife-with.html> (proactive) and Submit a request regarding a deceased user's account<Submit%20a%20request%20regarding%20a%20deceased%20user's%20account> (reactive) · Microsoft next-of-kin process<http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook/next-of-kin> · Report a deceased person<https://www.facebook.com/help/408583372511972/> to Facebook · Options available when a Yahoo Account owner passes away<https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN9112.html> (Then there's a new cottage industry to help you be proactive in managing all of your online accounts in these circumstances...) Of course, these companies have a simpler task because they generally have a pure customer/service provider relationship, whereas our institutions have great interested in such assets. Examples/thoughts/etc. all appreciated, particularly if you offer guidance to faculty, staff, and/or students about how to write such a directive or make such a request à la Google. Thanks, -Kent -- Kent Wada UCLA Chief Privacy Officer Director, Strategic IT Policy http://kentwada.info
