Even after a person passes away, their online presence remains. From social media accounts to subscription services that incur monthly fees, and photos and files stored in the cloud, the burden of organizing these digital assets falls on the surviving family members.
As the need for posthumous management of 'digital legacies' increases, there are suggestions that life insurance companies could offer services to assist families with account closures and subscription cancellations.
According to a report by the Insurance Research Institute titled 'The Intersection of Digital Legacy Management and the Insurance Industry,' the internet usage rate among the population aged three and older reached 95.0% in 2025. Notably, the internet usage rate among those aged 70 and older surged to 70.2%, up from 40.3% in 2020.
However, few people prepare for the management of their digital legacies in advance. A 2023 survey by the Insurance Research Institute found that while 78.3% of respondents acknowledged the need to establish a method for managing digital assets after death, only 4.1% had actually made preparations.
The issue is that any unorganized digital legacy remains the responsibility of the surviving family members. Even if they identify the accounts used by the deceased, accessing them can be difficult without passwords or authentication methods. Additionally, each service may require separate proof of death and inheritance status. If subscription services are not canceled in a timely manner, charges may continue to accrue after death.
The report suggests that life insurance companies could play a role in this process. Insurers verify the death of the insured through documents such as death certificates and basic certificates during the claims process. If necessary, they also confirm the beneficiary and inheritance relationships through family relationship certificates. Since much of the documentation required to manage the deceased's online accounts overlaps with this process, linking these services could alleviate the administrative burden on families.
In other countries, services that combine insurance with digital legacy management have already emerged. These services are categorized into 'pre-death preparation' where subscribers organize their accounts, documents, and wishes for posthumous handling, and 'survivor support' which assists families with account closures, subscription cancellations, and estate management after death.
For instance, U.S. companies MetLife and Securian Financial have partnered with the specialized firm Empathy to support beneficiaries of group life insurance with posthumous administrative tasks such as account closures and subscription cancellations. Transamerica offers support for digital legacy management from pre-death organization to post-death family assistance for certain life insurance policyholders and beneficiaries.
To introduce such services in South Korea, regulatory adjustments are necessary due to the lack of clear legal standards for digital legacy management. Currently, the handling of the deceased's accounts and data is governed by the terms and policies of individual service providers.
The report indicates that if legal standards and specialized service frameworks are established, digital posthumous management, such as account and subscription organization, could be utilized as an added service in life insurance. By enhancing existing funeral service partnerships, family guidance, and trusts with practical posthumous administrative support like account and subscription management, insurers could extend their coverage experience to support families.
However, it is essential to first examine how far the information obtained during the claims process can be utilized for digital legacy management, as well as how to define the roles and responsibilities of insurers in providing these additional services.
Researcher Jeong Su-jeong stated, 'In a situation where processing standards are lacking, it is difficult for insurance companies to design services individually. Therefore, it is currently necessary to review the scope and cost structure of these service examples.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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