Google Inactive Account Manager: digital will for data after death

A decidedly particular topic is the one that touches upon the new service fromGoogle called“Inactive Account Manager”. We are talking about a novelty that has to do with one’s death, something that people avoid talking about and often refuse to consider.
After all, just as it is sometimes necessary to do for material possessions during life, atGoogle the question arose of what to do with personal data and shares expressed during life, once the sad departure arrives.
It was therefore decided to launch the tool “Inactive Account Manager” which therefore represents an actualdigital will.
In this way, you can decide whether to automatically delete all data residing on Google’s servers (i.e., Gmail account, Google+ profile, Picasa albums, YouTube account, multimedia material on Drive, etc.) or you can choose to leave the management of this data to a trusted person who will then decide what to do.
In reality, Google, when presenting the new service that can already be configured as desired, does not exclusively talk about the user’s death but uses other expressions and words.
However, in the configuration process, the option “Delete account if it becomes inactive” is striking, leaving little room for imagination.
The topic may be considered out of place or in bad taste by some, but there is indeed a serious need to consider the issue of managing one’s data and online presence in the event of death.
Indeed, it is not uncommon to witness the phenomenon of posthumous tributes on social networks and online platforms once the disappearance of a friend or work contact is learned.

Allowing clear decisions to be made about one’s data, even just in the case of a prolonged absence (for various reasons) from the web, is a way to determine in the future what will be known about us.
However, the purpose could also be to encourage users to actively use their Google accounts, avoiding forgetting to check emails or other connected services for too long.
Currently, it is possible to decide what to do with your personal data after a period of “blackout” of 3, 6, 9, or 12 months, and you can also indicate a list of contacts to whom an initial alert will be sent, followed by all the material related to your presence on Google’s servers.
To set your preferences, you can access the page “Inactive Account Manager” (called in Italian“Gestione Account Inattivo”“).
For more information, you can read the post written by product manager Andrea Tuerk on the Google Public Policy blog.