MemoryBanc by Kay H. Bransford

Author:Kay H. Bransford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Published: 2015-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

Online Section

Taming the Internet: Keeping Track of Online Passcodes

We manage, on average, more than two dozen accounts and passcodes, according to the credit scoring firm Experian. Documenting and updating usernames and passcodes in one secure place will make managing information easier and will save you time.

According to the Pew Research Center, 61 percent of Internet users in the United States bank online, 72 percent use social media, and 80 percent have shopped online. Those accounts make up your digital assets and include email accounts, social media, digital photos, music, movies, and e-books you’ve purchased.

Most of us immediately click “agree” when faced with terms of usage agreements, and with most online agreements, you will find that upon death, account rights cease and the account is not transferrable.

A Wall Street Journal story from 2013 titled “Life and Death Online: Who Controls a Digital Legacy?” brings light to this complicated issue. In this case, parents were unable to get access to their deceased 16-year-old daughter’s online pictures and poetry. Most parents are unaware that they don’t have rights to access their minors’ accounts. The user agreements state that as a user, you agree to the conditions that the provider has defined.

We recommend that those of you with children under 18 have them document their usernames and passcodes. While my youngest and I sat together to set up her accounts so I could record her usernames and passcodes, I asked my son to just document and store his in a sealed envelope that I hope I never have to open.

Today, with many people using “the cloud” to store personal documents and photographs, it’s even more important that you make available the keys to access these accounts with family and loved ones. Some of the most crucial data to record include your usernames, passcodes, PINs, and security questions.

Online access goes beyond email and social media. From your health insurance provider and online banking to your utility accounts, you will find that you can document those access codes with each of those records within this workbook.

To learn about creating secure passcodes, you should read AARP’s Protecting Yourself Online for Dummies by Nancy Muir and Ryan Williams.

In addition to listing pertinent websites, URLs, usernames, passcodes, PINs, and security questions and answers, you should also list any linked credit cards. If a credit card is lost, compromised, or expires, you have an easy way to update payment methods for those accounts.

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