Nominee for digital assets like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google

Nowadays, your digital footprint and assets can be as precious as your financial ones. These include all your virtual belongings – domain names, e-wallets, digital currency, social media and email accounts, photographs, blogs, cloud storage, etc. Here’s what some social media platforms require you to do to pass on your digital assets.

Facebook
You can nominate someone under memorialisation settings, where the nominated contact can manage and view the information available in the page and, if required, can close the account.


Twitter and LinkedIn
Both these platforms do not allow the account to be memorialised, so a relative or friend will have to submit a letter along with the death certificate of the user to delete the account.

Google and YouTube
Any family member or representative can reach out to Google to close the account, access data or claim funds. After providing the death certificate and completing a few formalities, Google may release funds and provide access to the claimant as well as let them close the account. However, this is done on a case-to-case basis.

Microsoft
Microsoft allows a next of kin to access the data of the deceased after completing an authentication process, but requires the account to be closed after that.

Also read: How to pick the right nominee for life insurance, bank account, PPF, EPF, mutual funds, stocks
Also read: When to update nominee details

KEEP IN MIND
There is no law in India to bequeath digital assets and none of the Succession Acts mention it too. However, if you have any such asset that you would like to protect or pass on to someone, you can write an informal document listing your wishes for how such digital assets should be distributed or handled after your demise.