[Use Case] Access and Ownership Challenges in High-Impact Digital Estates #36
Description
Roles involved:
Deceased – A technologist or researcher managing key digital assets
Surviving colleagues or collaborators – Co-authors, project maintainers, team members
Employer or affiliated institution – University, company, or research organization
Digital platform providers – Publishers, cloud service providers, software hosts
Legal representative – Estate executor or next of kin.
Dependencies:
Platforms: GitHub, Google Scholar, academic publishing portals (e.g., Springer, Elsevier), email services (e.g., Gmail), cloud storage, cryptocurrency wallets, domain registrars
Jurisdictions: Local laws regarding digital asset access (e.g., U.S. states under RUFADAA)
Services: MFA-enabled accounts, shared drives, domain management tools
Additional context:
In cases where individuals maintain high-impact digital assets—such as:
A personal email tied to key research publications
Administrator access to widely-used open-source software
Control of software or wallets tied to a major cryptocurrency
—ownership often resides solely with the deceased. These resources may appear personal, but their impact is global and professional. The blending of personal and professional platforms (e.g., using a personal Gmail for academic login or code repo admin access) complicates access and ownership after death.
In research and tech fields, collaboration is common, but platform-level control often rests with a single individual—creating a vulnerability when that person dies or becomes incapacitated.
The goal of the interaction:
To regain access and, where needed, transfer control or ownership of key digital assets used by the broader public or institutional community. This includes:
Accessing an email address to verify authorship or reset other account credentials
Reassigning admin rights to a collaborative codebase
Preserving continuity of a research group, project, or digital product
Ensuring long-term maintenance or transfer of publishing rights and digital identity
What actually happened:
Surviving colleagues or co-maintainers often retain partial access—e.g., collaborator roles on repositories, secondary access to academic records, or working copies of code or manuscripts. However:
They cannot change account-level permissions
Cannot manage user access, billing, domain renewals, or publication metadata
Some assets (like crypto wallets or 2FA tokens) may be completely inaccessible
Contacting platforms often requires legal documentation, which is slow and may be denied due to privacy protections
Qualitative assessment of what went wrong, what would have helped, etc.:
What went wrong:
No clear distinction between personal and institutional digital resources
No shared or delegated admin access for critical accounts
No digital succession planning (e.g., designating a backup admin or executor)
Difficulty invoking legal pathways like RUFADAA due to lack of documentation or awareness
Some platforms do not support posthumous access or offer unclear processes
What would have helped:
Maintaining a digital asset inventory—including credentials, roles, and impact level
Setting up shared or institutional accounts for long-term projects
Use of advanced digital estate planning tools, such as designating a trusted contact or backup admin
Legal preparedness—integrating key digital accounts into estate planning or professional documentation
Platform-level support for digital legacy tools (some email providers and cloud services now offer this)