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Who inherits a selfie? States seek to fill privacy law gaps

FILE - In this May 25, 2016 file photo, Illinois Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, D-Westchester, speaks to lawmakers at the Capitol in Springfield, Ill. States have begun passing laws dealing with how online accounts can be accessed after death. Until now, Google, Facebook and other companies have said a federal privacy law bars them from releasing information unless they have permission from the account owner even if that person is dead. Welch, a suburban Chicago lawmaker, sponsored Illinois' measure on the topic. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
FILE - In this May 25, 2016 file photo, Illinois Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, D-Westchester, speaks to lawmakers at the Capitol in Springfield, Ill. States have begun passing laws dealing with how online accounts can be accessed after death. Until now, Google, Facebook and other companies have said a federal privacy law bars them from releasing information unless they have permission from the account owner even if that person is dead. Welch, a suburban Chicago lawmaker, sponsored Illinois' measure on the topic. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File) FILE - In this May 25, 2016 file photo, Illinois Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, D-Westchester, speaks to lawmakers at the Capitol in Springfield, Ill. States have begun passing laws dealing with how online accounts can be accessed after death. Until now, Google, Facebook and other companies have said a federal privacy law bars them from releasing information unless they have permission from the account owner even if that person is dead. Welch, a suburban Chicago lawmaker, sponsored Illinois' measure on the topic. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

By Associated Press 1 min read

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – States are passing laws dealing with how to release information from online accounts to relatives when people die.

Google, Facebook and other companies have said a federal privacy law approved decades before digital storage became common prevents them from releasing electronic memories or records unless the account owner grants permission.

This year, Illinois was one of 19 states that passed similar laws to clarify what internet companies can release after someone dies and when information should remain inaccessible.

Even with the new laws, people must be proactive in specifying whom they want to inherit their accounts. At a minimum, companies will release basic information from a user unless they express otherwise, such as the person’s email contact list to help find friends or gather an inventory of a person’s assets.