From Naomi Cahn (George Washington University Law School), writing for Slate:

Imagine that your beloved brother had just been killed in a car accident, leaving behind not just a grieving (and angry) family, but also dozens of internet accounts, ranging from his Facebook page to his Gmail accounts to his business records. You’ve gone to court, and you’ve received legal authority to clean up your brother’s estate. What rights does that give you to manage his online accounts?

There is, alas, no one right answer. What you can do depends on what actions your brother took before his death, what the online accounts themselves permit, and the laws of the state where your brother lived.

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