On Covid 19 front- The number of active cases in the country now have crossed 300,000 marks, as the number of cases are increasing day by day similarly number of active cases are also increasing. With number of cases have crossed 850,000+ mark, more than 550,000+ patients have been cured from this infection. The total number of deaths in India now is 23,150+, which gives death rate of approx 2.6%, the death rate has started reducing slowly, which is good sign.
Now coming to my other topic of the day: Friends , all of you must have heard that the need for making Wills, which are mostly made to ensure that all your assets, in whatever form is attended to, after you go from this world. In western countries, people have started incorporating in their will, is one more aspect, which till date we have not thought about. Spare a thought and wonder what happens to your e mails and other social media accounts, once you are dead. Does anyone in your family have access to these things? Can it be handled by someone or can someone misuse it in your absence? Hence it is a must that digital aspect of your life should be brought into the picture while making Will.
Digital Legacy
It include all your digital assets; it could be e mails, social media accounts, blogs, any digital music, videos or subscription that you have purchased, or even cloud storage and digital lockers that you may have. Presently we are living in digital society, it is important to consider these and make a note of all these in your will.
What can be done– If you have digital media accounts, then you may choose to delete the account, or your loved ones can keep it for memory’s sake. Facebook provides the authorised relatives with these options. So, you may, in your will choose to say what you want to be done with your account. You cam mention that you either want it deleted or appoint someone from family to monitor it. This could be one way for your legal heirs to keep your memories alive.
Instagram too provides users with the same options, with necessary proof of death. In many western countries, the laws demand that you mention in your will- what is to be done with your digital accounts.
In case you have online games, music or video subscriptions, then that too needs to be accounted for in your will. This may take some time, as may not realise, what all we have stored away digitally. Therefore, it is good to take time out and make a note. Understand the options that the platform provides for after death and make suitable choices in your will. E mail providers like Google and Yahoo too have policies for this that need to be explored and understood.
What is the situation in India– In India, as per legal experts, this topic is not very popular, and there is very little awareness. Also, the Indian succession Act does not cover these as part of it. The one place where the matter is clear is the Income Tax department which authorises the legal heir to file returns for the deceased with necessary proof. According to some legal experts who handle intellectual property rights, the digital stuff too gets passed on the legal heir, though not covered by any such law. However, if there are lots of stuff and important, priceless or costly, and multiple contenders as legal heirs, then issue may crop in. Hence it is always better to get the digital legacy mentioned in your will, so that there are no complications or surprises for your legal heirs, after your death.
Friends, I hope this information on digital legacy will definitely help you.
Waiting for your comments/feed backs/views.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
13th July 2020.