Even the cybersecurity-adept avoid planning for post-mortem digital account dissolution

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes”: we cannot
elude taxation, but many avoid contemplating their own demise,
making planning for the dissolution of their digital portfolio
unlikely. Because the issue here is related to the availability,
confidentiality and integrity of personal data, we interviewed
17 cybersecurity-adept participants and analysed their responses
qualitatively. Despite their expertise and cybersecurity affinity,
our interviewees did not engage in planning post-mortem account
management, nor were they particularly well informed about
security and privacy risks inherent in neglecting such planning.
We surveyed interviewees a few weeks later and found that,
despite the interviews raising awareness, very few had engaged
in planning. This confirms that death is likely “the final taboo” –
something humans avoid thinking or talking about, regardless
of expertise and awareness of the need to plan post-mortem
account resolution. It seems that awareness-raising, in and of
itself, will not reliably address the general lack of planning. We
suggest directions for future research to encourage and facilitate
engagement with this essential activity.