On All Saints' Day, I think of profiles I still come across on social media. Their owners passed away three, four, sometimes six years ago, or even longer. Their digital existence continues beyond their death.
I know they will not return. Yet their photograph is still there, and their old posts remain accessible. The interface continues to hold a place for them.
For some loved ones, that page may be a treasured memory. For others, a forgotten address. Looking at it, I cannot tell whether its continued presence was intended or whether nobody has dealt with it.
That uncertainty brings me back to my own situation: what have I planned for the traces I will leave behind?
Death can come at any age. Planning what happens to our accounts therefore concerns us now, even when that prospect feels distant. A few decisions made today can give our loved ones guidance; we can revisit them as our lives change.
A presence that can continue without us
Imagine that profile in twenty years, then in fifty. This assumes the service still exists and retains its data; neither is guaranteed. But it reveals a difficulty: an interface designed for the present can bring together living people and the traces of several generations who have passed away.
A photograph can move us. A piece of writing can pass on an experience. An old message can also hurt someone or expose information about people who are still alive. These traces continue to have consequences; their author can no longer correct them or change their mind.
Keeping them may make sense. But we still need to know what the person wanted to pass on, to whom, and what they would have preferred to disappear.
I would not want to leave my loved ones alone with these decisions, forced to guess my intentions when they will already have so much to handle.
Choosing what we want to leave behind
I have set up legacy contacts myself. That first step led me to a broader question: have I merely chosen someone, or have I also explained what I expect of them?
Delegation becomes useful when its scope is clear. Keeping family photographs, closing a public profile and passing on documents are different requests. We may want one without agreeing to the others.
In France, Article 85 of the Data Protection Act allows people to set instructions for the retention, deletion and disclosure of their data after death. The CNIL, France's data protection authority, explains the available procedures and the rights of relatives. [1]
This provides a framework for a personal decision: what do we want to preserve, for whom, and within what limits?
Three steps to get started
1. Identify the accounts that matter
I would start with a short list: primary email, photo and document storage, social media, a personal website. The aim is to make important accounts identifiable, without trying to track down every old registration straight away.
For each account, noting the service and the login identifier already helps avoid a search with no starting point. Keep this list somewhere protected, and let the person you trust know it exists. It does not need to contain passwords.
2. Specify what should be kept, passed on or deleted
A few concrete instructions will be more useful than a general request such as “take care of my accounts”: which photos should be passed on, which documents preserved, which profile closed, and which content left visible?
These wishes can be written down, dated and discussed with the person concerned. In France, a notary can help formalise them and coordinate them with estate arrangements. The CNIL distinguishes between general instructions and those addressed to a particular service. [1]
We also need to consider what must be retrieved before anything is deleted: closing an account too soon may erase the memories we wanted to pass on.
3. Choose someone and configure the services
Discussing this with someone you trust lets you check that they accept the role and understand your wishes. The next step is to use the mechanisms each platform provides.
Delegating means choosing someone and preparing instructions, rather than giving them access to everything.
Passing on memories and documents
Apple offers a Legacy Contact who can request access to certain data after the account holder's death. The process requires, among other things, the access key generated when the contact is appointed and proof of death. Passwords in iCloud Keychain and certain purchased content are excluded. Make sure the contact will know where to find that key. [2]
Google offers Inactive Account Manager: you choose a waiting period, the contacts to notify and the categories of data to share. It is triggered by account inactivity; it does not establish that someone has died. [3]
In both cases, checking which data will actually be accessible helps you prepare a handover that reflects your wishes.
Planning what happens to a public profile
For Facebook, the CNIL's overview describes two options to prepare: account deletion after the death is reported, or appointing a legacy contact to manage the memorialised profile. For Instagram, the CNIL points to procedures for reporting a death and requesting deletion afterwards. The options differ between networks; the essential step is to specify what you want to remain visible. [1]
Preparing content when no legacy contact mechanism has been identified
For conversations with ChatGPT and Claude, I have not identified a legacy contact mechanism in the official documentation consulted. This means preparing, during your lifetime, the content you wish to keep or pass on. OpenAI documents how to export ChatGPT data; for Claude, support remains the starting point for clarifying the available procedures. A loved one's access to conversations after a death should not be assumed. [5][6]
Each service determines which data can be accessed and which supporting documents are required. Settings should reflect your wishes and be reviewed when your accounts or your chosen person change.
Start now, with one account
I return to those profiles still visible years after their owners passed away. I do not know what had been planned for them. I can, however, make my own intentions clearer.
Planning for your digital life after you are gone gives your loved ones guidance: what matters, what they can pass on, and what they should let go.
Choose one important account today. Write down the service, the login identifier and what you want kept, passed on or deleted. For a photo account, for example: “I want the family albums to be retrieved and passed on to my children before the account is deleted.”
Date these instructions and keep them somewhere protected: for example, in an envelope stored with your important papers, or in a secure file. Tell someone you trust where to find them and how to access them when the time comes, without putting your passwords in this list. Then check the mechanism the service provides and configure it according to your choice.
This first decision will not settle everything. But it will spare those left behind one more decision to make.
Review your digital legacy plans
If you would like help, I offer an initial conversation through D‑WEB Consulting to identify your important accounts, clarify what you want to keep, pass on or delete, and identify the steps to prepare with someone you trust.
This support covers organising your digital life and configuring services. For legally formalising your instructions and dealing with inheritance matters in France, a notary remains the appropriate professional.
A separate role: ChatGPT's trusted contact. This person may be notified if there is a serious risk to the user's safety, but does not receive their conversations. This role does not prepare for passing them on after death. [4]
Sources and practical guidance
- CNIL, Data after death: rights, instructions and procedures by service, 31 October 2025 (in French).
- Apple, Add a Legacy Contact for your Apple Account (French page).
- Google, About Inactive Account Manager (French page).
- OpenAI, Trusted contacts in ChatGPT: how they work and their limits.
- OpenAI, Export your ChatGPT history and data.
- Anthropic, Contact Claude support (French page).
Pages consulted on 1 November 2026. Features and procedures may change; the official links let you check the conditions when configuring them.