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I was just now reading about members here having their pictures on-line and it struck me that many of us here are elderly.
Something that few of us think about or do anything about, in general, is preserving access to our on-line accounts, for survivors or executors to deal with after we pass away. I know that this may sound a bit morbid now, but we can help with that if we record all web site IDs along with our passwords, either at least on paper or digitally on a memory card. Don't forget to keep them up-to-date and store them in a safe place, too.
This is a big, modern problem that few people think about when they can do something about it (today). I have had to deal with this a few times. On-line only friends suddenly go quiet and you have no idea why. With crossdressing being so solitary for so many, my guess is that you may have seen this yourself already.
If you have any questions or recommendations, feel free to ask away.
It goes deeper than that. Email accounts, phone access if you lock your phone, bank accounts, all have passwords. If you need a thumbprint or facial recognition to unlock a phone, it's not going to work if you pass, so there better be an alternate method.
Someone I know had mentioned something like this before, so this doesn't come as a complete surprise. I have many of my passwords (and enough to be able to change "forgotten" ones (only known by the deceased) via 2-factor authentication) written down. Sure they tell you not to, but physical access to the home and looking for the list is less likely than a digital version.
This came up recently for me as I needed some major surgery, and wanted to teach my daughter (who lives with me) how to handle some of the mundane monthly bills. (I'm divorced.) I was considering adding her to my bank account "just in case" so the money wouldn't be tied up. Unfortunately, I entered the hospital much sooner than expected and had the surgery before I could do these things. Everything turned out well, but it does make me think.
Thanks, Alison. I will have to check on some of those myself.
My wife and I have discussed the digital aspect when one of us passes.
I proposed that we keep a text file of all our passwords + urls and save it on a usb stick. Taking it one step further, my wife has a bank safety deposit box, so we could store the usb stick there. If I can get power of attorney, I could then retrieve the items from the box.
This is not morbid, alot of people think of the obvious like bank account, material possessions, but I have not encountered people thinking about the digital world.
My wife and I have quite a few accounts open, gmail, food delivery, for me Steam, ... and we keep the credentials to ourselves. It is a very good idea to keep a file of some sort that is updated regularly of digital accounts.
I highly recommend the use of password managers. I have been using one for 12-15 years. My wife and I have a total of ~350 entries. This includes banking, credit cards, e-mail accounts, store accounts, cable modem codes, online media accounts such as newspapers, etc. We commit nothing to paper. One password allows access and that is not written anywhere either. It is memorized.
The password manager that we use runs on MacOS, iOS and Windows and all devices synchronize to one database so that any change on one device is accessible to the others. We are essentially an Apple household with one ancient Windows laptop. Whenever a new account of some sort is added, we immediately create an entry for it.
Obviously security is improved because nothing exists in paper form. But, it also allows more complicated passwords to be created. Some password managers will also generate randomized and complicated passwords for you.
As your senior, with 1 foot on the edge of grave and another on a banana peel, thanks for jolting me out of the fog. This is a very important matter to address. Thanks for mentioning.
While I know password managers are handy and secure, I have dealt with so many uncommon computer platforms that I never got around to finding a manager that worked with everything that I use. I do less of that now, though.
I’m taking Wanda to the crematorium with me…but I have taken measures re less revealing “piggies” of my digital footprint.
There are managers that run on MacOS, iOS, Windows AND Linux. Back in the 80’s and early 90’s I was a self-taught programmer. I worked on DEC VAXes and Unix boxes, but those days have passed. Not being facetious, but other than the afore mentioned operating systems, what else is there? Said another way, how Odd is Odd?
For me, on the DEC side was RSTS-E, RSX-11 and VMS. On PC’s I go back to DOS. I don’t remember where the UNIX came from, but perhaps it was derived from the Berkeley systems.
The Amiga and ReBOL come to mind. I am sure that they can accommodate Android as well, today. I just never put any effort into looking.
Hi Harriette,
Lots of good advice already.
I'm not that active online, so I just make do with browser password managers, and I only have a few 'master passwords' / phone codes to maintain - yes, on paper [blush] - that's kept in a safe place that my daughters are aware of.
If anyone wants to try out password managers, there are free ones, but you'll probably finish up paying (not a lot) Anyone interested can see some examples reviewed here:
https://www.techradar.com/best/password-manager
... and just to touch on the 'morbid' theme. We don't just die. Sometimes we first become incapable of rational decision making, which can cause similar problems for relatives. A Power of Attorney {in the UK there's two types) is a lot easier to sort out while we know it's not needed than when we suddenly realise we needed it as of yesterday.
eM x
Fired up the WayBack Machine, didn’t you?
That would be a niche of a niche. There wouldn’t be a market big enough to make any money.
And yes, Android is included. I just forgot to mention it. We have an Android-based tablet that was given to my wife, but I don’t use it.
Some products run on multiple platforms, but some only one or two.
