when you die, what happens to your emails?

[johnduncan2]

I was having a ponder the other day about what happens with your emails when you die. I imagine that people sending them to you (who hadn't realised that you'd died) would think you were a rude person for not replying and would assume that you don't want to continue the friendship.

Thoughts anyone?

 

[Skye]

One would hope there would be no return email..how dead boring would that be?

 

[GoAnna!]

I assume your work and home would check them for you and give an appropriate reply?

Which might create some surprises for all involved

 

[johnduncan2]

I assume your work and home would check them for you and give an appropriate reply?

Which might create some surprises for all involved

I'm not sure about yourself, but i access my emails with a password that my friends, relatives and workmates do not know.

A lot of web based email services like Yahoo and Hotmail also require a password to access the account.

So i guess i'm talking about situations where no-one else could access your email account and send everyone in your address book a CC email informing everyone that you had recently died.

 

[Novar]

Not about emails but a forum similar to this.

One of the regulars posted she would be away a few days to go to a concert or something and never returned. It was quite strange for everyone, no one knew who or where she lived or what happened. People kept bumping call out threads to her for months after and never a reply.

One can only assume something bad happened to her on that trip.

The downside of the cyber relationships you have, I guess.

 

[Strannik]

There was a story on yank's BMW forum, where an 18yo kid was bragging about owning latest M5 BMW, and how he was running a successful business and all. One day he disappeared, and next day there was a story all over the news about an 18yo taking his dad's M5 BMW doing speed runs at night on deserted air strip and running off the end of the strip flying into the trees.

Guess who it was....

On the more cheerful note, i was thinking to put my e-mail passwords in my will, and ask whoever will be handling it to create an auto reply message, sort of like this:

"I'm sorry i can't answer your e-mail right now because I'm dead. Please wait with your enquiries until you get here."

 

[DavidMc]

I think the best approach is to have a 'When I die' list.

It should list all accounts/passwords (bank and web) contact details of accountants, lawyers, locations of other important items, confessions, secret children, swiss bank accounts, etc...

 

[Sunfish]

I think the best approach is to have a 'When I die' list.

It should list all accounts/passwords (bank and web) contact details of accountants, lawyers, locations of other important items, confessions, secret children, swiss bank accounts, etc...

But the list must be password protected, or someone could clean out your accounts if they stumbled on them. LOL

 

[rodimus]

put it in your will to have someone administer your email account, i guess.

Not safe to have those passwords though, could someone access your will from your lawyer's office? security question.

 

[PrimeCommercial]

I think Microsoft is installing email in heaven in the next year or two!

I dont think Telstra will be servicing the other way so if your going to hell you outta luck, or you may be able to get dial up there, I dunno.

 

[DavidMc]

But the list must be password protected, or someone could clean out your accounts if they stumbled on them. LOL

I have mine on paper in a fire proof box. Two keys, I carry one on me and another is in a tamper evident envelope at a separate location.

Still not totally secure but good enough. A combo lock would be better I think.

Maybe I'll upgrade later. Mind you, it's not that difficult to get any 'saved passwords' from a Windows machine anyway.

 

[plusnq]

I think Microsoft is installing email in heaven in the next year or two!

I dont think Telstra will be servicing the other way so if your going to hell you outta luck, or you may be able to get dial up there, I dunno.

I would have thought you were in hell if Telstra was your ISP

 

[s_t]

I don't think I'll give a stuff about what happens to my emails when I'm dead..............

 

[jrc]

I think Microsoft is installing email in heaven in the next year or two!

Yes they use Windows in heaven. See the following:

When Bill Gates died, he went up to Heaven, where Saint Peter showed him to his house; a beautiful 20 room house, with grounds and a tennis court. Bill Gates was pleased, and spent many months enjoying the amenities of Heaven.

One day, he was enjoying one of Heaven's many fine parks, when he ran into a man dressed in a fine tailored suit.

"That is a nice suit, my friend," said Gates. "Where did you get it?"

"Actually," the man replied, "I was given a hundred of these when I got here. I've been treated really well. I got a mansion on a hill overlooking a beautiful hill, with a huge five-hundred acre estate, a golf course, and three Rolls Royces."

"Were you a Pope, or a doctor healing the sick?" asked Gates.

"No," said his new friend, "Actually, I was the captain of the Titanic."

Hearing this made Gates so angry that he immediately stalked off to find St. Peter.

Cornering Peter, he told him about the man he had just met, saying, "How could you give me a paltry new house, while you're showering new cars, a mansion, and fine suits on the Captain of the Titanic? I invented the Windows operating system! Why does he deserve better??!!!!"

"Yes, but we use Windows," replied Peter, "and the Titanic only crashed once."

 

[Psyk]

I wouldn't really care... and not that i could do anything about it either.

If someone is only contactable exclusively via e-mail are they that important for you to let them know that you've died?

I have family on the other side of the world, e-mail is a convenience, a phone call is for emergencies...

 

[johnduncan2]

I have mine on paper in a fire proof box. Two keys, I carry one on me and another is in a tamper evident envelope at a separate location.

Still not totally secure but good enough. A combo lock would be better I think.

Maybe I'll upgrade later. Mind you, it's not that difficult to get any 'saved passwords' from a Windows machine anyway.

Thanks David, that sounds like the best answer and something i will replicate.
It would be nice if someone could access my email account after i die and let others know what happened.

 

[geoffw]

Thanks David, that sounds like the best answer and something i will replicate.
It would be nice if someone could access my email account after i die and let others know what happened.

Tell everybody that you've died now.

It will save SO much trouble for your successors later

 

[JoannaK]

I think the best approach is to have a 'When I die' list.

It should list all accounts/passwords (bank and web) contact details of accountants, lawyers, locations of other important items, confessions, secret children, swiss bank accounts, etc...

I have done this and update it regularly, and i have left it with my accountant, who has stored it away.

 

[DavidMc]

Thanks David, that sounds like the best answer and something i will replicate.
It would be nice if someone could access my email account after i die and let others know what happened.

I have also included details on which accounts the rents come into, which ones the interest is paid from, PM contact details, all that kind of stuff.

As I'm unmarried it will give my family the basic instructions on how to run the show if something were to happen. I'd hate for them to 'sell it all because it's all too hard', which is unfortunately what most of them are like...

 

[exstatic]

Lol.. who cares if they think you are rude.. your dead

They are the rude ones for not being a real friend and knowing that you are dead!