The University of Colorado Boulder has created a free resource to help people recover their loved ones’ digital accounts or make plans for their own after death. The Digital Legacy Clinic at CU Boulder is a pro-bono service offered to the public to help with issues around digital legacy and online data accounts. They can help family members recover photos, emails and social media accounts belonging to a deceased loved one, and they can help people make an end-of-life plan for their own digital accounts. Jed Brubaker, the founder of the clinic and a CU Boulder professor, said the average internet user has about 190 online accounts and produces 850 gigabytes of data each year. “That’s a whole lot of photos, letters and personal history, and it would be a shame if that were lost,” Brubaker said. “And the truth is, the technology platforms just haven’t kept up with our end-of-life needs, so at the clinic, we’re here to bridge that gap.” Brubaker’s work has focused on the digital afterlife for 15 years. His work has directly informed the design and development of Facebook’s Legacy Contact, a feature that allows a user to select someone to manage their memorialized profile after their death. Without a feature like that, social media accounts that are inaccessible to anyone but their owner can exist long after that person has died, sending out routine birthday notifications, friend anniversary notices and memories. However, most technology platforms don’t allow users to name a beneficiary like they would in a financial account. “I think the tech sector is in need of some help to figure out what the best practices are so that every platform has some kind of support for end-of-life planning because most of them don’t right now,” Brubaker said. The clinic, which has a research and education focus, is partly funded by a $550,000 National Science Foundation grant. A team of specially-trained students respond to inquiries from clients and help them navigate digital accounts. Master’s student Rory O’Flynn helped develop the website for the clinic and has helped support a client. The client she worked with had a brother who died but still had portfolios online. She helped the client archive the brother’s photos, shut down part of the accounts and memorialize the rest privately for his family. “It was actually really cool,” O’Flynn said, adding, “It’s really, really interesting because it’s not something many people think of until it happens to them.” Digitized photos, videos, art, music, stories, blogs or professional work can all be lost after death. Losing it can be a loss of memories, and it can be devastating for loved ones. “It’s not just data,” Brubaker said. “There are personal stories, there are personal histories, there are family heritage. It’s hard to overstate the symbolic value of this.” The logistical burden of not being able to access those accounts can worsen stress and suffering when loved ones are already grieving. “It’s about reducing suffering and reducing extra areas of stress when someone is grieving, whether it’s grieving their eventual death or grieving the loss of a loved one,” doctoral student and researcher Dylan Thomas Doyle said. “When someone dies, there’s so many tasks and there’s so many emotions that come up.” Brubaker said many people don’t know how to talk about death. He hopes the clinic will help by providing clarity. “We can take them through the process and take them step by step and reduce the ambiguities and uncertainties and show them how to do this,” Brubaker said. The clinic is open to anyone of all ages. For more information or to request support, visit colorado.edu/center/digital-legacy .
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OTTAWA — Incoming U.S. president Donald Trump is brushing off Ontario's threat to restrict electricity exports in retaliation for sweeping tariffs on Canadian goods, as the province floats the idea of effectively barring sales of American alcohol. On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said Ontario is contemplating restricting electricity exports to Michigan, New York state and Minnesota if Trump follows through on a threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada. "That's OK if he that does that. That's fine," Trump told American network CNBC when asked Thursday about Ford’s remarks on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “The United States is subsidizing Canada and we shouldn’t have to do that," Trump added. "And we have a great relationship. I have so many friends in Canada, but we shouldn’t have to subsidize a country," he said, claiming this amounts to more than US$100 billion annually in unspecified subsidies. Meanwhile, an official in the Ford government says it's considering restricting the Liquor Control Board of Ontario from buying American-made alcohol. The province says the Crown agency is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. The province also says it could restrict exports of Canadian critical minerals required for electric-vehicle batteries, and bar American companies from provincial procurement. Ford doubled down Thursday on the idea of cutting off energy exports. The province says that in 2013, Ontario exported enough energy to power 1.5 million homes in those three states. "It's a last resort," Ford said. "We're sending a message to the U.S. (that if) you come and attack Ontario, you attack livelihoods of people in Ontario and Canadians, we are going to use every tool in our tool box to defend Ontarians and Canadians. Let’s hope it never comes to that." Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said the province would rather have co-operation with the U.S., but has mechanisms to "end power sale into the U.S. market" the day Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith ruled out following suit. "Under no circumstances will Alberta agree to cut off oil and gas exports," she said. "Our approach is one of diplomacy, not threats." Michael Sabia, president and CEO of Hydro-Québec, said "it's not our current intention" to cut off Quebec's exports to Massachusetts or New York state, but he conceded it might be possible. "Our intention is to respect those contracts, both because they're legally binding, but also because it's part of, in our view, a sound relationship with the United States," he said. "It's a questionable instrument to use in a trade conflict." Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew would not directly say whether Manitoba would threaten to withhold hydroelectric exports. "We are preparing our list and starting to think through what those options should look like," he said. "I'm not going to make specific news today about items that we're looking at." Kinew added that some premiers felt retaliatory measures wouldn't work in a call Trudeau held Wednesday. Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey said "we have no interest in stopping" the export of energy to the U.S., adding that a trade war would hurt both countries. "We hope it is just bluster; we're preparing as if it is not," he said. Canada supplies more oil to the U.S. than any other country. About 60 per cent of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85 per cent of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada sold $170 billion worth of energy products last year to the U.S. It also has 34 critical minerals and metals the Pentagon is eager for. Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tax on all products entering the United States from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs. Canadian officials have said it is unfair to lump Canada in with Mexico. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Canada since has promised more border security spending to address Trump's border concerns. Ford said that will include more border and police officers, as well as drones and sniffer dogs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024. — With files from The Associated Press, Liam Casey in Toronto, Lisa Johnson in Edmonton and Steve Lambert in Winnipeg. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian PressIn Moldova's path towards the EU, political prisoners in Transnistria face challenges
Texas probes tech platforms over safety and privacy of minorsClowns to Cabinet confirmation circusIt's a great time to jump into virtual reality. Meta's newest headset, the Meta Quest 3S, normally retails for $299, but there are extra savings on tap for Black Friday. The bundle that includes Batman: Arkham Shado w (an excellent game with a list price of $49.99) comes with a $75 store credit or gift card if you buy it on Amazon or Target for Black Friday. But wait, there's more : it also comes with a 3-month trial subscription to the Meta Quest+ service that's normally $7.99 a month. The Meta Quest 3S is my pick for best VR headset of 2024 "But Steve," you may be saying, "I want Meta's Quest 3 because it has better graphics ." That's a respectable viewpoint, and you can obviously buy a Meta Quest 3 on Amazon and everywhere else, but it won't come with $75 store credit, and I think you'd be overpaying. I've compared both of Meta's headsets against each other and found the Quest 3S superior, considering the price, and that was without a $75 store credit. While there are definitely more pixels and more storage with a Meta Quest 3, the Quest 3S's graphics look very close to the 3's to me, it runs the same games and apps as the Quest 3, and the experience of using a Quest 3S is exactly as fun as using a Quest 3. Check out my comparison article for more details .