I wish I had knew more about this topic earlier- my Dad passed away two months ago, as an avid social media user himself he and I actually had a conversation about what he would want to happen to his "online pressence" in the envent that something did hypothetically happen, he simply said (his sudden death and sense of humor make me feel this must be quoted word for word) "I don't care, I would be dead. What would be important is what you guys would want to do with it! Seeing as your Mum still refuses to join Facebook, like she did once upon a time with Internet Banking too if you remember carefully, it would be up to you." 

I immediately when I heard of his death, wanted to protect and save all my correspondence, messages and words from him online but ignorantly also thought it was best to request the page to be memorialised immediately as his high profile image may invite unwelcome activities I thought... I wish I hadn't... the more I look at death & social media & ownership & digital rights, the more it makes me aware we need some better answers before the "digital natives" are anywhere near old enough to worry about the kind of things I have been struggling with trying to keep, claim or save anything of someones life online... 

SOME BLOGS & REPORTS THAT HAVE RECENTLY ENLIGHTENED ME & MADE ME CONSIDER MY OWN SOCIAL MEDIA USE & KNOWLEDGE INCLUDE...

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Attacks on Social Networks Increase By 70 Percent

A survey finds that 60 percent of executives view Facebook as a security threat. Meanwhile, experts see LinkedIn as a particular area of vulnerability.

Unintended Consequences: How to Keep Social Media from Becoming a Security Risk

By Minda Zetli            |      http://technology.inc.com/internet/articles/201101/unintended-consequences-how-to-keep-social-media-from-becoming-a-security-risk.html?partner=newsletter_Technology

Social media is a major boon for business -- it helps you connect with customers, report on outages, and even brag about accomplishments. But social media can also expose your plans and aid the competition.

All this comes under the heading of what Manes calls "inference analysis," the science of assembling pieces of information to see what can be learned. His company uses inference analysis to discover what sensitive information his clients are sharing online, and he says criminals are out there doing the same thing. 

Sophos Security Threat Report: 2010

Furthermore, over 72% of firms believe that employees’ behavior on social networking sites could endanger their business’s security. This has increased from 66% in the previous study. The number of businesses that were targets for spam, phishing and malware via social networking sites increased dramatically, with spam showing the sharpest rise from 33.4% in April to 57% in December. This highlights a surge in exploitation of such sites by spammers2.

   http://www.sophos.com/sophos/docs/eng/papers/sophos-security-threat-report-jan-2010-wpna.pdf

Why You Should Make Privacy a Priority

A new study ranks America's most trusted companies -- and reveals customers' feelings about how safety affect the brand.

No small businesses actually made the Top 20 – could it be because 56 percent of small businesses don't even have a privacy policy on their Web sites? – but the Ponemon results still provide a useful lesson. Facebook, for example, made the list last year but not the current one – which comes as no surprise, as 2009 saw the site face serious security breaches as well as a very public debate about their privacy policies.

TRUSTe Survey Findings Indicate Majority of Small Businesses Neglect Vital Privacy Measures

• Thirty-six percent of consumers claimed they would not use their credit or debit card to make a purchase with a Web merchant they didn't know. (Ponemon Institute, 2007)
• While merchants anecdotally report that approximately 20-30 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned, research conducted by Marketing Sherpa actually found a 58 percent average abandonment rate.
• Forty-nine percent of consumers abandon online shopping carts due to fear of identity theft; 53% worry about sharing personal information. (Marketing Sherpa 2006 study)