More public attention
A recent NOS report shows that digital legacy is finally becoming a broader public topic. Not only notaries and tech specialists, but also politics and public campaigns are paying attention.
News and context
Digital legacy in the news
Attention is growing: from passwords and crypto to social media, devices, and final wishes. The discussion is no longer only about assets, but also about access, privacy, and calm for loved ones.
What is happening now
Loved ones get stuck on access
The recurring problems are practical: nobody knows where accounts are, how to unlock devices, which documents are needed, or what the person actually wanted.
Not every platform works the same way
The attached discussion highlights an important point: features such as legacy contact, memorialization, or account recovery differ widely per platform and do not always provide full access.
Summary of the NOS report
The NOS article frames digital legacy as a growing social problem. The core issue is simple: many people have online assets, accounts, messages, and instructions, but have arranged nothing for the people left behind.
According to the report, this leads to painful situations involving passwords, crypto, phones, and farewell messages that are found too late or not at all. The political response in the article focuses mainly on awareness and better digital education.
What Data na de dood adds
The Data na de dood campaign makes the topic practical. It is not only about assets, but also about privacy after death, reducing the burden on loved ones, the risk of identity fraud, and even which data you want to leave online.
Their step-by-step approach shows that digital legacy is not a single document, but a combination of inventory, decision-making, understanding platform settings, and leaving clear instructions.
The nuance behind what is said in the media
In the media, platform features around digital legacy are sometimes presented too simply. An important example is Apple Legacy Contact: it does not automatically grant access to the iPhone, iPad, or Mac itself.
That nuance matches Apple's own documentation. After death, a Legacy Contact can request access to certain Apple Account data such as photos, notes, files, and device backups, but not to iCloud Keychain, payment details, passwords, passkeys, or the device itself. That is exactly why structure matters: document not only which feature a platform offers, but also where access starts, which documents or contacts are required, and which sequence is safe and workable for your loved ones.
What you can arrange today
- ✓Create an overview of your most important accounts, devices, documents, and contacts.
- ✓Document per platform or account what should happen and which route loved ones should follow.
- ✓Keep legal documents and practical access information separate, but logically connected.
- ✓Update your instructions regularly, because platform rules, devices, and contacts change.
Or start directly HERE and work through all of these points step by step with our guided questions and forms.
Where PassMyBits fits in
Practical structure alongside your will and notary
A will regulates rights and distribution. PassMyBits helps with the operational layer: digital access, socials, devices, banks and crypto, insurance, subscriptions, farewell wishes, legal and practical notes, contacts, children, pets, home information, personal memories, and files.
A separate Pass per topic or audience
You can split information logically per recipient or trusted person, but also by topic: for example family, business, social media and digital access, finances and crypto, subscriptions, legal matters, home, pets, or personal memories. This helps each recipient see faster what is relevant to them.
Clear instructions instead of guesswork
Not only what exists, but also what must happen first, what can wait, and what context a trustee needs.
Sources and further reading
NOS: Who inherits your passwords and crypto?
News report on political attention, awareness, and the practical problems for loved ones.
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Data na de dood
Campaign and information platform about privacy, loved ones, identity fraud, and practical preparation.
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Data na de dood: step-by-step plan
Eight steps to map digital legacy systematically.
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Apple Support: Legacy Contact
Official Apple documentation about which account data a Legacy Contact can and cannot access.
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Turn awareness into a concrete plan
Capture what your loved ones need to know, where access starts, and which instructions are actually workable when the moment comes.
Start with PassMyBits