Apple needs to get better at dying

Computerworld ^ | Aug 29, 2016 5:53 AM PT | By Jonny Evans

[Swordmaker]

Credit: AppleMust

Just because the subject is challenging doesn't mean it can be ignored.

Apple and the rest of the technology industry must face up to death, it’s too important to ignore.

The lost son

To illustrate my point, Apple has refused to unlock a Mac belonging to a man’s murdered son. The victim was a painter and musician with a trove of precious creative work stashed on his machine, and his dad wants to be able to see the data there. You can see his point.

Apple has declined to open up the Mac because: "It is impossible to be certain what access the user would have wanted and we do not consider it is appropriate that Apple make the decision". You can see Apple’s point, too.

The family must now go through the stress, hassle and expense of securing a court order to secure access.

[zeugma]

It is also about the wishes of the deceased. If no provision is made for access, no business wants the associated liability without having government sanction of their actions. There is a tremendous potential liability here. I know it sounds heartless of the company, but they have to deal with the law and potential risks as it exists.

Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people. I do hope they are able to recover their son's art. It will just likely take time.

[roadcat]

In the future, when I die, I'm going to have a list of passwords in my will for my executor so he doesn't have to do any of this.

Choose your executor wisely. Recently a friend of mine died. He had made his nephew his executor. The nephew screwed up everything, losing my friend's last instructions and will. It was a fiasco, including the burial. In my case, my wife and I will act on each other's behalf, and know of each other's common passwords. Our daughters know how to access our trust documents that have instructions inside, and have been advised of our possessions and death disposal. We don't necessarily trust our lawyers to be executors, and want family to handle our affairs. In your case, be sure to leave instructions in more than one pair of hands.