The OpenID Foundation (OIDF) has introduced a framework aimed at fostering collaboration among governments, platforms, and standards bodies to tackle digital estate management.
According to the official press release, in most situations, individuals’ online accounts—such as email services, social media profiles, cryptocurrency holdings, and cloud-stored photos—do not vanish upon their death. However, there is no standard process for managing these assets. OIDF has published a report titled “The Unfinished Digital Estate,” proposing a collaborative framework to address the gaps in handling digital assets after someone’s demise.
This report synthesizes legal analysis, technical assessments, and cultural insights from various countries. It highlights inconsistencies at multiple levels—platforms, jurisdictions, and industries—indicating that no interoperable or globally recognized standards currently exist for managing digital estates.
A divided landscape
Some large technology platforms provide legacy contact tools, but their usage is limited. Other platforms advise family members to utilize the deceased’s credentials, which can conflict with terms of service and local laws. Many services do not offer any formal procedures at all. Government responses are mixed; some jurisdictions provide partial fiduciary access rights, others defer to platform policies, and many focus on raising awareness rather than establishing enforceable frameworks.
The report emphasizes the increasing role of artificial intelligence in generating posthumous avatars and deepfakes, which raises complex issues around consent and control. Unauthorized recreations have led to legal disputes, but no current framework exists for individuals to determine how their likeness can be used after their death.
Cultural differences further complicate the issue. Different cultural norms surrounding privacy, grief, and remembrance blur the lines between personal data, identity, and property rights across jurisdictions.
The report delineates specific roles for policymakers, technology platforms, and standards bodies. Policymakers are urged to formalize digital assets in inheritance law, clarify posthumous identity and privacy protections, and develop cross-jurisdictional frameworks for digital property. Platforms are asked to move beyond sharing credentials towards delegation-based access, implement verifiable processes for death and incapacity, and offer users controls over posthumous data usage. Standards bodies are encouraged to design interoperable delegation protocols, create trust frameworks for estate services, and ensure solutions account for cultural diversity.
Though some technical approaches already exist—such as guardianship credentials from Sovrin, delegation frameworks from the Kantara Initiative, and death registration integrations within the MOSIP ecosystem—these efforts remain uncoordinated.
Practical guidance and future actions
In conjunction with the report, OIDF has provided a Digital Estate Planning Guide for individuals and professionals who advise them. The guide recognizes that thorough planning can still face limitations due to the absence of interoperable systems among platforms, and emphasizes that accessing an account without authorization may violate laws or terms of service despite the owner’s wishes.
The OIDF’s Death and Digital Estate (DADE) Community Group, responsible for producing the report, invites contributions from government agencies, legal services, insurance, financial services, healthcare, technology, and death care sectors. Representatives are set to attend identity and technology events through June 2025 to explore collaboration opportunities.
