Heartbreaking, but also presenting a moral dilemma.
> Thirty years ago, the deceased left behind paper letters, files and boxes of photos. Now, the “clouds” hold every scrap of our existence after we die, locked behind walls. Miranda was a talented writer. Were there unpublished essays? What about her photographs? What about contacts who didn’t know she died? What were Miranda’s last calls or texts? I’m agonized by the thought that she might have sought help before she died. Did she call 911? Not that it matters, I guess. These unanswered questions won’t bring Miranda back.
Many platforms offer options to leave a "digital legacy".
However, it may seem tone-deaf, but two more things should also be clear:
1. Full access to personal accounts is different from physical memorabilia, which are often created with the intent of not being private.
2. Not every person would want to give their parents full access to all of their personal data posthumously, nevermind the ability to post or act in their name. The article tells the tale of an apparently very healthy and close mother-daughter relationship. Not every family relationship is like that. The same applies to spouses.
So, what should tech companies do? It seems sensible to me to deny such requests in the general case.
A thought that comes to my mind is: maybe companies could offer tools for people who have lost their loved ones, to avoid the painful scenarios described in the article, and automate away some things that are clearly hurtful for people who have lost someone.
But no technology can ever be able to solve human emotional pain. The only option is to avoid worsening pain.
