On December 2014, Michael Hamelin, a hacker and physicist, died in an unfortunate car crash. He is survived by his wife, a scientist named Beth Hamelinâwho not only has to deal with the grief that comes with a loved one passing on, but also has to manage the intense security measures that Hamelin left behind.
Today, The Daily Dot published a story that chronicles some of the difficulties that come with death, technology, and social media. After Michaelâs death, Beth Hamelin was left a bevy of gadgets and accounts that she couldnât access because of how well-secured Michael had left them. Since Michael was a security expert, he made sure that all of his sensitive information was on lockdown. But now that he has passed away, even small things like changing the wi-fi password have turned into a challenge for his family:
Beth is not a professional hacker, so when she walked into the room where her husband hosted over a dozen well-secured Web and email servers, she had no idea what to do with them, how to shut them down, or even what they really were. Michaelâs encrypted personal computers and safe-guarded personal Internet accounts seemed impenetrable.
Not knowing the passwords meant Beth didnât know how to access the thousands of family photos Michael kept safe and secure on digital storage. As of publication, after months of searching, she still hasnât found them.
Beth is also finding servers whose purpose and function is a mystery, on top of fully encrypted hardware that she canât gain access to. Specific accounts across the web are also providing their own difficulties. Google, for example, has been unresponsive to the familyâs attempts to access Michaelâs information. Michaelâs Apple accounts are also unavailable, because Apple doesnât have a policy in place to help the next of kin.
Thankfully, at least a few social media accounts, like Facebook and Twitter, have been helpful in letting the Hamelins deal with Michaelâs informationâbut overall, the entire experience sounds like a harrowing ordeal, the likes of which most people wouldnât know how to deal with.
You can read more about the âdigital afterlifeâ of Michael Hamelin here.
Top image: phi-AU
