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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1451520
Planning Your Digital Legacy What happens to your data after you die? It’s an important question — and as more of our life goes online, it will become even more important. Tech companies use the somewhat euphemistic term “digital legacy” when they have to talk about this issue. We discussed it way back on Checklist 80: Digital Legacies, covering topics like: • Making sure your family can access your devices when you’re gone • Storing important information securely • Why backups are so critical • How the rules can vary from service provider to service provider • What happens to digital property? Last month, Apple introduced its Legacy Contacts feature, which is intended to help Apple users plan out their digital legacies. As Apple VP of Cloud Services Mike Abbot put it: We don’t often think about it, but it’s important that we can easily pass down information to family members or friends when we pass away. So you’ll now be able to add people to your account as Legacy Contacts. So when you’re gone, they can request access, and your information can be passed along quickly and easily. What can Your Legacy Contact Access? Apple’s digital legacy program will only apply to data that Apple controls. And even then, a Legacy Contact can only access things that the Apple ID holder has stored in iCloud and iCloud Backups. Practically speaking, this means that the following is included: • iCloud Photos • Notes • Mail and Contacts • Calendars and Reminders • Messages in iCloud • Call history • Files stored in iCloud Drive • Health Data • Voice Memos • Safari Bookmarks and Reading List • iCloud Backup, including downloaded App Store apps, photos and videos that were stored on a linked device, device settings, and other content. But on the other hand, Legacy Contacts won’t be able to access: • Licensed media like movies, music, and books • In-app purchases like upgrades, subscriptions, game currency, or other content that was bought inside an app • Payment information • Anything stored in Keychain (e.g. Safari passwords, credit card numbers, secure account information, etc.) • Anything stored outside of the Apple ecosystem