A Comprehensive Study on Scope and Challenges in Digital Inheritance

Abstract

We are living our life online more and more nowadays. We access internet banking, investments online and into communication with our family and friends through various social media and other means over the internet. In this context it is becoming more and more important that what happens to our digital existence after our death. In the process of digital inheritance, digital media is handed over to the beneficiaries in the form of rights and digital assets understanding the rights that exist with the beneficiaries after a person's death. As the digital inheritance concept is quite fresh, substantial legal systems are yet to be established to deal with matters after our death. It is for that reason the websites who govern the act of the users. It is clear that a comprehensive legal arrangement is necessary to address this important issue of digital inheritance and hopefully this will be dealt with by the various Governments across the world in due course. This paper explains the concept of Digital Inheritance and explores the various options social media services provide for managing a deceased user’s data.[1] An effort is also made to suggest that Digital Will may be a choice to address this problem.