When you die or become incapacitated, who can access your email, photos, social media, crypto wallets, online businesses, and other digital assets? Without planning, the answer is often nobody — federal law + service-provider terms of service block access.
What are digital assets
Common digital assets: Personal:
- Email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)
- Social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn)
- Cloud storage (Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive)
- Photos + videos (often only digital)
- Music + video libraries (iTunes, etc.)
- E-books (Kindle library)
- Subscriptions
Financial:
- Online bank accounts
- Investment accounts
- Cryptocurrency wallets / exchanges
- PayPal / Venmo / Cash App
- Online payment processors (Stripe, Square)
- Reward programs / points
- Online businesses (Amazon FBA, Shopify, etc.)
Business:
- Domain names
- Websites + hosting
- E-commerce stores
- Online courses / IP
- Customer databases
- Software licenses
- Cloud-stored business records
- Email marketing accounts
Creative + IP:
- Online published works
- YouTube channels
- Twitch / streaming accounts
- Podcast feeds + content
- Patreon / Substack / OnlyFans
- Affiliate accounts
- Influencer accounts
The legal challenges
Federal law obstacle — Stored Communications Act (SCA):
- Federal law (1986)
- Prohibits providers from disclosing electronic communications
- Requires user consent for disclosure
- Default = blocked
- Even families can't access without authority
Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA):
- Federal criminal law
- "Unauthorized access" prohibited
- Family using deceased person's password = potentially illegal
- Even with good intentions
Terms of Service:
- Most providers prohibit account sharing
- Many terminate on death
- Non-transferable license terms
- Provider has total discretion
RUFADAA — the solution
Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act:
- Adopted by ~48 states + DC
- ${s.name} likely adopted
- Provides legal framework
- Hierarchy of authorization
Three-tier hierarchy (highest authority wins): 1. Online Tool (highest):
- Provider's specific tool (Facebook Legacy Contact, Google Inactive Account Manager)
- Most specific to user's actual wishes
- Overrides terms of service
- Often free + simple
2. Estate planning documents (middle):
- Will, trust, POA, etc.
- Specific provisions for digital assets
- Authorizes fiduciary
- Must be specific (not just "all assets")
3. Terms of Service (lowest):
- Provider's default terms
- Often most restrictive
- Used only if user didn't override
Without #1 or #2, providers can deny access citing #3.
Online Tools — the easiest path
Major providers offer: Google Inactive Account Manager:
- Designate trusted contacts
- Notification after inactivity period
- Optional automatic deletion
- Optional access to specified data
- FREE + comprehensive
Facebook Legacy Contact:
- Designate person to manage memorialized profile
- Cannot read messages
- Limited authority
- Or set account for permanent deletion
Apple Digital Legacy:
- Designate Legacy Contacts
- Access to most iCloud data after death
- Important for many users
Microsoft / Outlook:
- Limited tools
- Custodian process available
Recommendation: Set up online tools for major accounts NOW.
Estate planning provisions
Will / trust language:
- Specific authority for digital assets
- List categories or specific assets
- Designate digital fiduciary
- Reference RUFADAA
- Override terms of service
Power of attorney:
- Critical for incapacity
- Specific digital-asset authority
- Recent + specific
- Cooperative with online tools
Healthcare directive:
- Sometimes overlap with digital-asset issues
- Healthcare-related accounts
Cryptocurrency — special challenges
Crypto presents unique issues:
- Pseudo-anonymous — hard to find without info
- Self-custodied wallets — no third-party recovery
- Lost private keys = lost forever
- Exchanges — easier (custodial)
- Hardware wallets — physical access + PIN
Crypto-specific planning:
- Detailed inventory
- Secure key storage
- Multi-signature wallets
- Trusted contacts
- Crypto-aware fiduciary
- Time-locked access
- Possible escrow services
Estimated billions in crypto lost to inadequate planning.
Practical steps
1. Inventory your digital assets:
- List all accounts
- Categorize by importance
- Note value (financial, sentimental)
- Note access requirements
2. Set up online tools:
- Major providers (Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft)
- Specify wishes
- Designate trusted contacts
3. Update estate documents:
- Specific digital-asset provisions
- Reference RUFADAA
- Designate digital fiduciary
- Authorize broad access
4. Secure password storage:
- Password manager (LastPass, 1Password, Bitwarden)
- Master password documented + secured
- Trusted contact has emergency access
- Emergency access setup in password manager
5. Letter of instruction (NOT IN WILL):
- Detailed instructions
- Account list
- Wishes for each account
- NOT in will (changes too quickly)
- Stored securely + accessibly
6. Update regularly:
- New accounts
- Closed accounts
- Changed circumstances
- Annual review
Specific account considerations
Email — critical:
- Often gateway to other accounts
- Password resets sent here
- Family communication archive
- Business correspondence
- Often most important asset
Social media — emotional:
- Photos + memories
- Tributes + memorials
- Family wants memorialization
- Identity theft protection
Photos + videos:
- Often only digital copies
- iCloud, Google Photos
- Important to family
- Backup options + sharing
Online businesses:
- Significant value
- Continuity essential
- Designated successor
- Specific business plan
Subscription services:
- Cancel after death
- Avoid continuing charges
- Document authorization
Online financial:
- Bank, brokerage, crypto
- Already covered by financial POA / will
- But access requires credentials
- Coordinate with traditional planning
Common digital-asset issues
- Lost photos — no access to deceased's iCloud
- Crypto unrecoverable — keys not preserved
- Email locked — family can't access communications
- Business interruption — successor can't access systems
- Ongoing charges — subscriptions continuing
- Identity theft — accounts compromised
- Misuse of online presence — fraud, scams
- Lost intellectual property — content disappeared
- Family disputes — over digital property
Provider-specific procedures
Apple iCloud:
- Legacy Contact preferred
- Death certificate process for non-LC accounts
- iPhone / iPad Activation Lock issues
Google:
- Inactive Account Manager preferred
- Court order for non-IAM accounts
- Limited family access process
Facebook:
- Legacy Contact for memorialization
- Limited family access without
- Photo download possible
Microsoft:
- Limited tools
- Custodian process via court
Crypto exchanges:
- Death certificate + estate documents
- KYC issues
- Specific procedures vary
What you should do
If you have significant digital assets in New Mexico: set up online tools NOW (Google IAM, Apple Legacy, Facebook Legacy Contact). Update will / trust / POA with specific digital-asset provisions. Use a password manager with emergency access. Keep an inventory of digital assets. Most New Mexico estate-planning attorneys can update existing plans for $500-$1,500. For substantial digital assets, work with a digital-asset-aware planner.
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This guide is general information about federal + New Mexico law as of mid-2026 and is not legal advice. Digital-asset law is evolving. Talk to a licensed New Mexico estate-planning attorney about your specific situation.