I wonder if relatives poking in a dead person's online-life is such a good idea. While I understand that in case of suicides relatives are left with many questions; I'm just not sure if it'll ever clarify anything. If I read back some of my old posts or chatlogs I often can't remember what I was talking about or wonder if I was on crack. I can't even begin to imagine what other people might make of it!

That being said ... Some sites remove accounts that are inactive for X months. When you die, you generally stop being active on websites and eventually your account will disappear, or the website might disappear first. Except for the odd birthday (or whatever) reminder and/or some online-buddies sending unanswered messages, this really isn't that much of a problem. People die all the time. People get post -- including bills -- for deceased relatives as well. It can be a painful reminder, but it's part of life.

However, accessing online accounts is a different problem altogether. Many legal difficulties come into play here. Generally speaking, if you have power of attorney over someone/some business, you're legally allowed access to all their stuff. Usually it's a simple matter of presenting proof of this and doors will open for you, including bank accounts and safe deposit boxes. However, because websites are often hosted in different countries with different rules, it might be very tricky indeed. Thankfully, in most cases, passwords can be reset via e-mail, so there shouldn't be too many people you have to deal with should such a situation arise.