What happens to your data if you die?

As the old cheerful saying goes, there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. And it pays to be extremely prepared for both, especially if you’re very active online. Because if the Grim Reaper were to tap you on the shoulder tomorrow, just think of all the accounts you have still running online with no one to turn them off.

Google has attempted to address this issue by having a feature called the “Inactive Account Manager”. This feature has been around for years, but I am still amazed at the number of people who have no idea it exists. So this article is here to rectify that and hopefully get a few of you thinking about the online afterlife.

Google’s Inactive Account Manager works on the same principle as checking up on your elderly relative to see if they’re still breathing. Essentially, Google monitors your Google account for signs of inactivity, like not logging in for months, using the account for nothing, that sort of thing.