The Digital Legacy Association is the professional body raising awareness and improving areas relating to digital assets planning and digital legacy safeguarding.
Welcome to the Digital Legacy Association
We are the global organisation supporting the general public and professional bodies with areas relating to digital assets planning and digital legacy safeguarding.Learn more about what we do
We support the general public and industry to better understand how the internet is changes death and bereavementTraining courses, workshops and independent think tanks
We provide a range of courses, workshops and think tanks for the hospice, healthcare, legal, charity and end of life sectorResources, frameworks, toolkits and support
We provide resources for both professionals and the general public. Our free framework provides information and support for professionals providing end of life careDigital Legacy Conference
Our annual Digital Legacy Conference advocates best practice and allows experiences to be shared
Supporting society with their digital assets & digital legacy
The Digital Legacy Association is the only professional body dedicated to digital assets and digital legacy. Since launching at Hospice UK’s annual conference in 2015, our mission has been to help ensure that everyone’s end of life wishes are met both in the physical world and the digital realm.
We are a ‘not for profit’ and our work includes supporting the general public, advising governmental organisations, social networks charities and other organisations to better support the public with their digital assets and digital legacy. We run training courses, develop best practices, publish resources and organise the annual Digital Legacy Conference. The Digital Legacy Conference has taken place in New York, Berlin, Rotterdam, London and online.
Changing attitudes and behaviours
The internet is the biggest and most ‘disruptive’ force since the industrial revolution. As a result, society is spending an ever increasing amount of time online. This has led to a range of benefits and challenges as to how society prepares for death, mourns and remembers the deceased into posterity
It is becoming increasingly important that everyone makes plans for the online accounts that they use and the personal photos, videos (sometimes called digital assets) etc they contain.
Making plans can help ensure that digital assets are not lost and can help safeguard someone’s digital legacy.
Make plans for your own digital assets and safeguard your digital legacy
Everyone should think about and make plans for their digital assets & digital legacy
Martin Lewis speaking about the importance of making plans and referencing the Digital Legacy Association’s ‘Social Media Will Template’ on The Money Show.
If someone you care about dies how important is it for you to be able to view their social media profile?
For The Public
View our step by step tutorials and download our free best practice guidelines
Free Resources
We have developed a range of resources to help support both the general public and professionals
About Us
Find out about us and why this area is becoming increasingly important
Training
We run training courses for social care, healthcare, legal and funeral professionals across Europe
Training and workshops
We speak at various conferences, events, workshops and conferences. These are both for the general public and for different professions.
Conferences prsented at range from SXSW (USA) and Click Summit (Portugal) to the European Association of Palliative Care World Congress (Berlin and the Netherlands) and The Nationella Konferensen i Palliativ Vård (Sweden).
We are based in the UK but run workshops largely for the health and social care sector, globally.
If you would like us to speak at your conference, event or to host a workshop get in touch.
Feedback data from the University of the Third Age (U3A). 56 responses by members of people in their third age, retired or are semi-retired.
Supporting health and social care professionals
:We support health and social care professionals in a number of different ways. This includes research, collaboration, training, providing resources, thought leadership and our annual ‘Digital Legacy Conference’. Further resources and information can be found below
Photo from Hospice UK’s annual Conference
Supporting the health and social care sector since 2015
Ensuring people understand how to protect and pass on their digital legacy is an increasingly important issue, which is why we are delighted that the Digital Legacy Association has been launched. Talking more openly about dying, death and bereavement benefits us all, as does putting plans in place for when we are dying, and for after our death.
Social media has a key place in our lives now, and we are learning that it becomes even more crucial as people face the end of their lives. It helps patients stay connected and boosts self esteem. But patients and those special to them don’t know how to manage this personal vital resource after a death – memories, music, photos and messages are lost. We are delighted that the Digital Legacy Association is being launched at our annual Hospice UK Conference for over 700 staff working with families at the end of life.
It is important for end of life professionals to have an understanding of the internet and social media within the context of end of life. The Digital Legacy Association have developed a day long training workshop specifically to educate, improve skill-sets and provide best-practice in areas relating to digital assets and digital legacy. The workshop was developed with the support of St Christopher’s Hospice and includes contributions from a range of professionals and patients. “In recent years, the ways people choose to remember deceased family members and friends has changed. Trips to the cemetery are replaced by online memorials and social media sites which can be updated regularly and accessed freely. Healthcare professionals need to engage with service users to discuss digital legacies. This, in turn builds confidence in discussing dying, death and bereavement. St Christopher’s are pleased to have supported the foundation of the Digital Legacy Association.”
Supprting Governmental and Non-Governmental organisations
We provide support, guidance frameworks and strategy for governmental and non-governmental organisations across the globe in areas relating to death, remembrance and the internet. Some of those supported can be seen below.
Consultations, research and development has led to public and professional awareness, policy change and new policy creation.
Recent News...
BBC Radio 4 – Digital Legacy
Problems that can take place when suitable plans are not made in advance for one’s
Good House Keeping
20/03/2024
Get in contact
If you would like to speak with the Digital Legacy Association about supporting you with training courses, resources, conference speaking, governmental or organisational policy creation and for any media enquiries please do get in touch
Visit us for a tea or coffee
The Digital Legacy Association
Michael Sobell Hospice
Resource building, Mount Vernon Hospital, Gate 3 Northwood HA6 2RN United Kingdom