CNet looks at what happens to the loved ones of people who take their passwords to the grave — Microsoft and Yahoo will provide you with your departed's mail (but Yahoo requires a court order!), while data that is locked up locally may not be retrievable at all.
William Talcott, a prominent San Francisco poet with dual Irish citizenship, had fans all over the world. But when he died in June of bone marrow cancer, his daughter couldn't notify most of his contacts because his e-mail account–and the online address book he used–was locked up.
Talcott, 69, a friend of beatnik Neal Cassady, apparently took his password to the grave.
(via Schneier)
