What happens to your inbox (digital life)after you die?

This is really sensitive issue and it will be very useful information for those who hold e-mail account and are very much addictive of internet.

In the digital world, which is changing day-by-day, the deepest secrets placed in the inbox no longer die with you. Then what happens to your private mails in your inbox when you pass away? It is a big question indeed.

Everyone who holds account in electric mail would be very curious to know the answser for this question.  Well, if you die, your family and others could end up reading them.  The major two giants which is ownig the internet world--Google and Microsoft--have a policy of keeping your data after you die and letting your next of kin or the executor of your estate access it.

Accounts with Gmail can hold upto 7GB (or 70,000 e-mails approx.) with a small or medium picture attached to it.  In the case of Microsoft's Hotmail, if your account is not active for 270 days, it will be removed.  Out of the three top internet providers, only Yahoo! refuses to supply emails to anyone after the user died.  Even though the user's next kin can ask for the closer of the account they cannot gain access to it, unless and until it is mentioned in the WILL of the user of the particular e-mail.  

For social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace also it is little problematic.  But, Facbook has recently introduced a new feature by name 'memorialisation', which lets the family of the deceased user of the e-mail keep the profile page of the person online as a virtual tribute. The family will not be allowed to log in to the accout or access any private messges, but can request that it be taken down.

Myspace says it addresses the issue of family access to sensitive data on a "case by case basis". Finally, to summarise the policies of popular email and soical networking sites:

Hotmail (by Microsoft):

If you die, your next of kin would be able to access your account within that period by proving their identity and supplying a death certificate. Otherwise automatically, if the user account is not touched for 270days it will be deleted. Hotmail does not have the option to the email user to specify in advance that they do not want the contents of their email accessed by a next of kin.

Gmail (by Google)

Here again, Gmail is allowing the next kin to apply for the access of the deceased user's email account. But, the person would have to prove their own identity and provide a death certificate and also a proof of an email between them and the deceased. Gmail does not delete the deceased user's account, but if the next of kin could choose to do so after gaining a ccess to it.

Yahoo! (by Yahoo!)

In this case, Yahoo! is having very strictest policy when it comes to the data of deceased users. The next of kin of the deceassed can ask for the closer of the account; but will not give them access to it.  Otherwise, the user should make arrangements for inheriting their emails, by mentioning the same in their WILL.  Yahoo! feels that each person who is signing up for a Mail Account is to treat their email as a private communication and the contents should be always confidential.

Facebook (Social Networking Site)

Facebook has recently introduced a new policy called "memorialisation".  Once the user's death is confirmed, their profile can be turned into a sort of Virtual  Tribute.  Immediately the profile is locked so that no one can log into it and all the information is removed (including the status updatres).  But Facebook gets requests from most of the family members of users, after the account holder's decease, to completely close the account. 

Myspace (news.com.au)

No set policy has been compiled so far by Myspace as far as the profiles of deceassed users. It handles each incident on a case-by-case basis when notified and will work with families to respect their wishes.

It will not allow anyone to assume control of the user's profile, even though it is not deleting the profiles after periods of inactivity.  But they will do so at the family's request.  

OOHH! How many of you already started deleting all secret e-mails in your inbox? Yes. Yes. Do it as early as possbile. Just kidding. Don't worry nothing will happen. After all, when something is happening, you are not going to be there to know all what is happening to your inbox. So, need not worry about anything. Be happy smiling always! Ok. Now you can start go and open your inbox to give mail to your beloved person immediately about this article. Don't waste your time on anythingelse. Hurry up!