Decide what happens to your Google Account after you die with ‘Inactive Account Manager’

Google has started rolling out a new feature for users, which allows them to deal with their account if it is inactive. The new feature allows users to pre-set a timeout period, option to notify upto 10 trusted friends. We can even schedule this trusted contact to get all the data from our accounts.

Though, Google might not be calling it a “Digital Will”, that is exactly what it is.

How it works:

• Visit this link and you will be taken to a page that helps your configure the settings for Inactive accounts.
• The first option helps you choose the period of inactivity. It is set at 3 months by default.
• Then we can go about selecting 10 friends who have to be notified, with a customizable message. More importantly you can choose to have Google delete all your data.

Why it is needed:

Google is the first major company that is rolling out something that allows us to basically create an online will of our data. We today create a lot of content and data online and not necessarily on physical hard drives or even paper. So having some control over our data after we are gone is a good initiative by Google.

Other than Google, Facebook too has an option to memorialize an account. But on Facebook, the options to transfer data does not exist.

Link: Google’s Inactive Account Manager