What happens when I die?

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I'd burn a CD (it will last longer than a piece of paper) with a couple text files and tape it to the bottom-inside of my system. If someone really wanted the data on my boxes in the case of my death, most likely they would try and bring it to a professional who might open the case and see it.

The text files would include all my passwords (system/emails/school account), a request file of what I would like people to do with my stuff when I'm gone, and a file detailing paths to all 3 of my system backups saved on a sep drive on my main box (if they get axx to that 1 system, they get everything from all my systems).

How's that for an idea?

Keeping that password etc stuff in a locker with your bank is another option. A person's legal heirs would get access to it after that person's death.

Banks can be always trusted and they are more organized than an average person who may lose the stuff or accidently expose it to unwanted persons. But rest assured recovery would take a few days unless it's a joint locker.

If the information retrieval is needed to be faster, Leo's approach is pretty safe.

I think that this article and the comments from those who read it were very informative. I never considered how my family might get access to my digital stuff once I die. It never came up when my mom and grandparents passed away but they didn't live on the computer like our generation does.

Interesting question. I have often been thinking about this and there is no easy answer. But I think the solution has to be simple. You can tell someone where and how to get your passwords, but that person will also have to have some sort of "mnemonics system" of their own. It is easy after one week, one month, but not after years.

Also, even if we give someone's a list today, this list will become quickly obsolete and we might not remember to update it. This is the same thing with wills; we do it and forget about updating it; we think this is good forever.

The only way to do it, if we have a partner in life, is to involve that person with our choice of passwords. If we are alone, hum..., not sure what would be good.

We have to hope that some genius will solve that problem in the future, but I am rather skeptical about this.

Chris' idea has one flaw that makes me very uncomfortable. If the computer was ever stolen, it would contains not only all the data, but also the passwords to access it.
I suppose, that it might be acceptable for someone who was extremely sure of the physical security of the computer.

One option for those who want a secure setup like Leo uses, but don't want to share the password with anyone until they are gone (or at least incapacitated) is to setup an automated email that would be sent in such a case. A simple (free) way would be to setup a calendar reminder with email notification on Yahoo (or one of the other free email services with a calendar) to send the password required to get into your stuff to the person you designate. You would then have to periodically reschedule this event before it went out. If you became unavailable to reset, the email would be sent. This scenario has the advantage that you do not have to update anyone with your password changes, but would probably require another (calendar/email) reminder to reset the "dead-man-switch". There would also be a delay before your email went out corresponding to how often you wanted to perform the reset maintenance.

I suppose you'd have to be quite paranoid to go to this much effort... Well, time to go reset my switch.

To brand that stuf on a CD sounds good. But to put that CD in the system and hope then that the system will be brought to a professional and than hope too that that professional will do the right things, is too much. I would not count on that. I would put that CD on a safe place and give instructions to the person(s) who would otherwise take care in these situations.

How about one of the Password key systems that hold all your passwords on a USB memory stick. You would have to give that passowrd to your trusted people but it would not be of use until they were able to get your USB key?

I've given out my passwords to everyone i trust..
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plus.. there's text a file straight in my open hard disk that contains all the passwords and stuff required to open my accounts..
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sensitive data that i don't want ANYONE else knowing will be lost with the password that's in my head =P

Well, sooner or later we'll be able to read a dead (person's) memory and recover data much like pulling out a hard disk from a dead system and plugging it into a new system or using disk recovery tools.

In the popular media we already see that scientists can tell which part of our brain is responding ( and hence the general nature of response) to a question. This is something like that Tom Cruise movie where he is being chased for a crime he is GOING to commit in the future.

I have no doubt that defence and spook agencies are already working on this. Imagine being able to interrogate a terrorist caught dead !

Regards

I have an almost identical arrangement to Leo's. Except my passphrases are all contained in RoboForm (so one master passphrase can access all the others). That master password is in a sealed envelope in a secret place in my house - and my family know where that place is.

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