If you review your sent folder and peruse just a few older email, you may be surprised at the detail you’ve shared. Perhaps personal passwords, account information, addresses of places you’ve been, places you plan to be and maybe your itinerary!
What would happen if you passed away unexpectedly and someone, either a coworker or a family member, or worse; a complete stranger, had to decipher through your email and determine which is work and what is personal. That could as well include your LinkedIn account, your Facebook account, your bank accounts, your home security correspondence, ugh, I know. Pretty scary! Immediate stress and panic sets in.
Now that we have you contemplating your email account(s) as your digital life diary, you can protect yourself. Laws are starting to be written. Companies have been scrambling to get the correct policies in place. Passwords are updated on an ongoing basis in order to try and head off such tragedy. Thankfully, you have already downloaded Everything My Family Needs to Know! Now delete what you wouldn’t want a stranger to read and be privy too!
Email is just one of the many “digital assets” one owns and needs to take precautions with. We will readdress this issue regarding the other digital assets (all of your social media accounts, online user merchant/utility accounts) and how best to protect them in more detail later but for starters, take the scary out of your digital diary immediately just to be safe! You’ll be amazed at what has been “stored” on your various digital devices such as smartphones and computers!
Have a Happy and safe Halloween.