Have you ever stopped to think about what happens to your digital life after you die?
Your emails, photos, your private messages, your social media profiles, all sitting there, frozen in time.
Today, I’m going to encourage you to have a conversation that’s uncomfortable, but one that every single one of us needs to think about.
Welcome back to the AI Six Podcast, and in just six minutes a day, I teach you how to master AI for marketing and communications.
In today’s episode, I’ll break down:
✅ How to set up your digital legacy
✅ What different platforms like Apple, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Google allow
✅ How AI is starting to reshape how we manage our online afterlife
✅ Practical steps you can take now to protect your digital legacy
If you’re an iPhone user, you might have noticed that Apple introduced a feature called Digital Legacy in iOS 15.2.
It allows you to nominate a trusted person, your Digital Legacy Contact, who can access your iCloud data after you pass away.
This matters more than you might think.
Most of us have thousands of photos, videos, notes, and important documents stored digitally.
Without a plan in place, even your next of kin might be locked out of those memories forever.
Apple, like many tech companies, has strict privacy policies — even after death.
Setting up a Digital Legacy Contact is straightforward:
- Open your settings.
- Tap on your name at the top, then go to ‘Password & Security’.
- Choose ‘Legacy Contact’ and follow the instructions.
You can add multiple trusted contacts, and they’ll need your access key and a copy of your death certificate to access your data.
But Apple isn’t the only platform you need to think about.
On Facebook, you can assign a Legacy Contact to manage your profile after you die — whether that’s memorialising it or closing it down.
Google offers Inactive Account Manager, you decide what happens to your Gmail, Drive, and YouTube if your account goes inactive.
LinkedIn handles it differently.
There’s no Legacy Contact feature.
If you die, a family member or colleague has to request that your profile is memorialised or removed. It’s reactive — not proactive.
If you care about your professional legacy, it’s worth leaving clear instructions in your will.
Instagram allows memorialisation.
Once verified, ‘Remembering’ appears next to your name and the account is locked from edits.
Again, no way to set this up in advance.
TikTok currently offers no memorialisation feature at all.
Your account remains live unless family members intervene and request its removal, a manual and often complicated process.
The key takeaway?
If you don’t decide what happens to your digital life, someone else, or no one will.
What to do next
Different platforms have different rules, and very few allow proactive control.
This is why you need to:
- Appoint Legacy Contacts wherever possible
- Create a digital will with clear login information and instructions
- Talk to your loved ones about your wishes for your social media and online accounts
- Understand the policies of the platforms you use most
Your digital life deserves the same care as your physical one.
Lessons
AI is beginning to play a fascinating role in how we manage digital legacies.
Tools like HereAfter AI and StoryFile are using AI to create interactive memories.
With HereAfter AI, you record answers to life questions, and your loved ones can have a conversation with your voice after you’re gone.
StoryFile goes even further with video, allowing family and friends to ask you questions and see your recorded video answers, powered by AI.
Looking forward, AI may also help:
- Organise your digital archives automatically
- Create curated life stories and memory books
- Assist loved ones in closing or memorialising accounts
- Craft final messages that feel truly personal
In this podcast, I share what’s out there, I don’t always make recommendations and for sure, these tools will have people have very different perspectives.
Take action
But I for one, have assigned my digital legacy and had that conversation with my daughter, Sophie.
Will you have that conversation too?
Managing your digital legacy is one of the most important future-proofing steps you can take, both for yourself and for those you leave behind.
Do you want to stay ahead in AI marketing?
Check out my Professional Diploma in AI for Marketers or book an in-company AI workshop. Use the code AISix10 for a discount.
About the Podcast Host
Joanne Sweeney is a specialist in public-sector marketing and digital communications. She’s the author of Public Sector Marketing Pro and the creator of the Professional Diploma in AI for Public Sector Marketing. With years of experience in training, consulting, and advocating for digital transformation, Joanne provides insight and guidance for government agencies navigating the digital landscape. She is also the host of the award-winning Public Sector Marketing Show podcast.
