Food for thoughts

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phillywood

phillywood

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Joined
May 10, 2010
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2,067
Location
San Antonio, TX, 78250, USA
On Monday night I was waiting to pick up my family at the local air port and was listening to the NPR (National Public Radio) and I didn't happen to turn it on on time to hear the whole thing so, I thought i share what was being discussed since it was very interesting.
Most of us by now, at least I am hoping that have drawn up a will so after we are passed on our loved ones know what our wishes and bequests are and try to accommodate them. In some cases within the body of that Will we state what we want done with the estate or certain properties and belongings and etc.. It comes to attention that some of us or maybe any one ever thought of what happens to your DIGITAL Intellectual properties that you own? By that I mean everything that you own digitally on your computer whether it be your files you created on your computer and your family and personal pictures on the computer or all that you have created and saved. Now, the newer problem is that many of us have pictures and files and documents which are saved on remote servers which constitute membership and legal contracts to be signed digitally to be able to store them. As such you are dealing with terms of confidentiality and some Internet providers also have in terms of agreement that they will not provide any further information after ones death. The report goes on saying that there were even legal cases in the courts that argued how a wife of man who got killed in an car accident could not access her late husbands files on line to see what she had to take care of and all that. In most cases we also create password to protect our intellectual properties on line.

The point of me telling you this was that I know some of you have created tons of stuff and kept them on your comp or on a remote servers. Did you think of what happens after you passed on or did you create a provision in your Will what you want to happen to them. Also, there might be things that you don't want to have your loved ones to know about them now, but what happens after you die. Who owns all that properties you so hard created when you were alive.

I hope I presented to you all something to think about and take an action about it if you haven't already.
 
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Actually, this is quite an interesting topic. I was discussing it with my wife after I read this. I appreciate you bringing this topic up. I have to update my will shortly, so I'm going to ask the JAG about that when I do.
 
Phillip ...

This is an interesting topic that may possibly never is even considered.

My solution is easy for me as I am single and have no family to leave anything to. I intend on using up my life gatherings, leave no food in the refrigerator, and no vehicle's, and the house is already sold.

I have instructed my best friend of all my life to get here and 'run' a small program on my PC. It in short is a well crafted, self-destruct routine that completed destroys all files on the system, rewrites the hard drives several dozen times with a type of encryption that was used by the military, and there is absolutely nothing left but zillions of 1's, 0's, no spaces, and other weird characters with no meaning to anyone.

Not that I have dyed before, nor do I have anything to hide, but I have sold several systems and used this method to ensure I left nothing to anyone's imagination on any hard drives.
 
Carrick said:
Actually, this is quite an interesting topic. I was discussing it with my wife after I read this. I appreciate you bringing this topic up. I have to update my will shortly, so I'm going to ask the JAG about that when I do.
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Patrick, when I heard this on the radio, I almost felt stupid as when I drafted my will I was in my early 30's. I know no one in that age thinks about it. Back then I didn't have a s much digital Data or if memory serves me well computer to worry about it. But, the interesting subject was that the interviewer was asking the two authors that who will own the information and life time work of the deceased one once one dies? See, most f us have a habit of clicking Accept Button on the terms of use or agreements when we are downloading and never bother to read the entire written documents. since we are too anxious to just download the program and get on with using it. Now, no disrespect to my lawyer friends here, but they know how to draft those documents that the provider of the service is less likely to get tangled up in a court room loosing the battle to a consumer. To make the story short, it was like a wake up call for me. Now granted that I do not have that much materials stored off line which I should for the sake of fire hazards or natural disaster, however, look at some of our members here that they are very computer literate and i am sure they have created many many works on their computer or on remote servers. I am hoping that they would share some insight on this.
BTW, you need to check what laws apply to your state of resident about these kind of matters, since that was another issue that the author was saying that not all the laws in every state cover this issue of the owner shop of the digitally generated info or pictures or any medias.
 
Fred said:
Phillip ...

This is an interesting topic that may possibly never is even considered.

My solution is easy for me as I am single and have no family to leave anything to. I intend on using up my life gatherings, leave no food in the refrigerator, and no vehicle's, and the house is already sold.

I have instructed my best friend of all my life to get here and 'run' a small program on my PC. It in short is a well crafted, self-destruct routine that completed destroys all files on the system, rewrites the hard drives several dozen times with a type of encryption that was used by the military, and there is absolutely nothing left but zillions of 1's, 0's, no spaces, and other weird characters with no meaning to anyone.

Not that I have dyed before, nor do I have anything to hide, but I have sold several systems and used this method to ensure I left nothing to anyone's imagination on any hard drives.
Click to expand...

Fred, i would be interested to learn about this program if youdon't mind sharing it, please. Or, I can call you to discuss it in private.
 
Can any of our computer professionals shed light on this subject, please? Jeff, Alpha geek, Smart and all the other computer guys and programming. i am sure there must have been something they told you guys about while you were going to school as for who owns all the works you guys do, if one should pass on.
Thanks for your input.
 
I've actually been using a service for a few years that emails me periodically. If I ever fail to reply to too many emails it sends out an email to a list of people I have setup with all the information about dealing with my online life. Addresses, passwords, what to do, etc......

http://www.deadmansswitch.net/

Very simple, free.... it's literally like a virtual will.

As far as what happens to our data after we die, it is for the most part like our physical posessions..... as long as we specify in our will what we want done it's pretty straight forward. Outside that, or if someone wants to cause trouble over who has what right to do what with which........ Still a very grey area legally since it's just been the last half dozen or so years that much thought on a wide scale was given to the subject.
 
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