Families locked out of dead relatives' phones face 'grisly problem' accessing fingerprint, FaceID
In funeral homes across Toronto, there’s a growing dilemma facing staff: the digital remnants of a deceased person's life are trapped behind the lock screen of the phone they left behind, and a fingerprint or face scan is the family’s last hope for access before the body is buried.
Passcodes, in many cases, were never communicated to the people managing the estate, and whether it is to salvage family photos or disarm the security system of the home they now need to access, executors are hoping to break in with biometrics.
“The frequency is certainly increasing,” technology analyst Carmi Levy told CTV News Toronto.
“The last resort for a family member often is [to] go to the funeral home, get an image of the body, and then gain access to the systems. It’s a grisly problem.”
But it’s also a practical problem for families overseeing end-of-life affairs if their loved one’s life was tied to technology and organized by apps.
One funeral director told CTV News Toronto he receives a few requests a month from executors trying to retrieve camera roll photos, access digital documents, and more.
“Whenever it happens, I know that funeral service providers will do whatever they can to ensure that they help the families to the best of their ability,” Allan Cole, president of the Funeral Association of Canada, said.
“People have a tremendous amount of personal and private information trapped in their phones.”
But digital access after death isn’t always possible. Another funeral director, who didn't want to be named due to professional repercussions, told CTV News Toronto that family members have often locked themselves out of the deceased person’s phone through too many failed passcode guesses by the time they try to gain access through biometrics.
In one case, he said, the next-of-kin had to break a window to get into the deceased person’s home, since the doors were keyless and accessible only through the phone.
In other cases, the phone’s security system will prevent access if it detects that the device may have been lost or stolen.
Fingerprints may not be readable by the device after death, depending on how much time has passed and the electrical properties of the skin.
The sophistication of the biometrics system is also a factor, according to Levy.
“[FaceID] requires proof that the individual who is being recorded, in the photo, is in fact a very live person,” Levy said. “For example, Apple has incorporated technology to prevent people from taking pictures of dead bodies and gaining access to a system.”
“Generally I don’t think people really expect that someone would be going through their phone after they’re dead,” University of Toronto bioethicist Kerry Bowman said.
“Ethically, it’s very problematic to be accessing people’s personal material after they’re dead, even if it’s related to estate planning, access to the home, who knows what.”
But a legitimate executor of the estate operating in good faith would have access to the body, Cole said, with the caveat that the individual funeral home should seek legal advice on specific circumstances.
One funeral home director, who also asked not to be named due to potential professional repercussions, told CTV News Toronto access to bodies isn’t necessarily supervised, adding that family members looking for biometric access don’t have to state their intention to the staff.
The best way to avoid the digital dilemma altogether is to include a digital asset clause in your will, according to financial planner Luxmihaasan Rasappah, who recommends writing down usernames and passwords in a document in case of death.
“But one thing I will recommend: don’t put your login and password in the will, because the will becomes a public document,” he said.
Cole agrees, for the benefit of the loved ones left behind.
“It’s of tremendous importance to families to be able to access this somehow.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.