Erasing someone's digital footprint after they pass away: a complete guide

Would you like to know how to erase someone's digital footprint after they have died? At Áltima, we will provide you with all the necessary information to carry out this process.

What is a digital footprint and how is it generated?

A digital footprint is the unique mark that we leave behind when using the internet. It is made up of all our activities, actions, contributions and traceable digital communications, which appear on the internet or on digital devices.

Also known as a digital shadow or electronic footprint, it includes all the data we leave behind when we use the internet. It includes websites we visit, emails we send, information we post, social media posts, reviews we write, online purchases we make, and so on.

Each person can generate their own digital footprint actively or passively:

• An active digital footprint occurs when we deliberately share information about ourselves. For example, when we fill in a form or accept cookies in our browser.

• A passive digital footprint occurs when information about users is collected without us being aware of it. For example, when advertisers collect data such as our location or the number of times we visit a website.

When our data becomes public on the internet it is almost impossible to erase our digital footprint completely. However, it is possible to manage our digital footprint in order to reduce our online presence as much as possible.

Why is it important to erase the digital trail after someone dies?

When a person passes away, deleting all evidence on the internet becomes even more complicated. Yet it is necessary to take certain measures because all that information about our loved one remains on the internet and social networks.

Their history does not disappear, it is still stored and, if digital removal is not requested, this information will remain in different databases.

This may not seem to have much significance, but think in terms of cybersecurity: this data about your deceased relative could be used for possible scams on the internet.

In addition, for many families it is important to remove all digital evidence of their deceased loved ones in order to avoid painful situations. It is a matter of privacy, intimacy and honour.

This is why the European Union approved the ‘right to be forgotten’ in 2014. This obliges search engines and social networks to facilitate the deletion of a family member's data after passing away or even our own data on the internet.

How to erase the digital footprint of a loved one: practical steps

If we want to remove a loved one's online trail after their death, the first thing we must do is respect their wishes in this regard. With this in mind, we must follow a series of steps to comply with our loved one's wishes:

1. Search for our relative's digital footprint

How to remove the digital footprint of a loved one? This can be quite a daunting task, since the shadow we leave on the internet can be very long.

Therefore, the first step is to trace the person's digital footprint on different search engines, online platforms, social networks, etc. 

In this way, you will know where you need to go to request the deletion of your loved one's data.

Is it possible that we might overlook a piece of information? Of course, that's why we say that it is not so easy to completely remove someone's digital footprint after their death.

2. Provide documentation

Once we have identified all the accounts and online presence of our loved one, it is necessary to prove that we have the legal right to act on their behalf and to erase the digital footprint.

Therefore, in some cases you may need to provide a power of attorney, a will or any other document that proves that you are the person authorised to request the removal of your loved one's digital footprint. 

In some cases you may need court permission to proceed.

3. Requesting the removal

Finally, you will have to go to each online platform to eliminate the digital footprint left by your loved one.

Each of them will have their own protocols and procedures to follow, so you should be clear about the internal policy of each social network, search engine or platform.

Generally, you will find a section for managing the accounts of deceased users. If you have the passwords and login credentials, it is a much simpler process to close these profiles. Otherwise, you will have to be patient when it comes to complying with the requirements and timeframes of each website.

An important thing to consider before closing your loved one's profiles is to make sure that you want to delete all of their information, as it is possible to keep certain photographs or other files of your loved one that may be of significance.

Digital removal as part of a funeral plan

In recent years, the concept of a digital will has emerged. This is a declaration of last will and testament concerning what we want our family members to do with our digital footprint after we pass away.

This plan allows our loved ones to know what we want to be done with our digital content: accounts, email services, social networks, websites, etc.

Leaving our passwords and authorisation to our loved ones with instructions on how to erase our digital footprint can be very useful. It will enable them to determine what material to keep, eliminate or send to other family members, if this is our wish.

At Áltima we offer a digital trace removal service to make this tedious and painful process easier for families. We handle the deletion of the digital footprint, carrying out all the necessary steps to comply with the deceased's last wishes regarding their trace left on the internet.