# Do you ever worry about who might read your computer history if you were to suddenly die? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777 "2011-11-13T06:03:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gerund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@gerund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerund)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/1 "2011-11-13T06:03:09Z")
Actually, the dead corpse question on this forum got me wondering about it. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/2 "2011-11-13T06:07:26Z")
No, I worry about who might get a warrant to search my computer. šŸ˜‰ SFC Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/3 "2011-11-13T06:14:19Z")
Nope, Iā€™m boring. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/4 "2011-11-13T06:17:05Z")
Settings set to delete history upon exit of browser. Keep the recycle bin empty at all times. A good utility to keep the Registy cleaned and sorted. Government grade wipe of free space every Saturday. No, I donā€™t worry. Unless I die on a Friday night, then I am still safe as I am a pretty boring and happily married guy. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/5 "2011-11-13T07:00:28Z")
I think Iā€™ll have bigger things to worry about when Iā€™m deadā€¦like being dead. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/6 "2011-11-13T07:39:34Z")
ā€œWow, he must have really been into lesbiansā€ will be my legacy. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/7 "2011-11-13T09:19:24Z")
Lets see. [ul] [li]Gay porn (Iā€™m not gay, just curious what they show)[/li][li]Dynamite recipe (I was watching fight-club and wanted to check their facts)[/li][li]discussions about Amphetimine use on recreational drug forums (I donā€™t do drugs)[/li][li]A Chinese-language Incest ā€œeroticā€ :eek: story (I search google for sentence constructions I want to learn, but it took me too long to figure out where the story was going :smack:) [/li][li]A picture of f[orest with a nazi swaztika](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Swastikatree.jpg) grown into it.[/li][/ul] Yeah, I could see how an unprepared observer could get the wrong idea 'bout me. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/8 "2011-11-13T12:28:09Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > I think Iā€™ll have bigger things to worry about when Iā€™m deadā€¦like being dead. This. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > ā€œWow, he must have really been into lesbiansā€ will be my legacy. And probably this. šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/9 "2011-11-13T13:36:13Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > [li]A picture of f[orest with a nazi swaztika](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ea/Swastikatree.jpg) grown into it.[/li][/LIST] Is that natural, or did someone plant a different variety of trees on purpose? ETA: Apparently Iā€™m OK with the rest of your list. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/10 "2011-11-13T14:10:38Z")
I donā€™t go to underbelly of the internet sites. So no. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/11 "2011-11-13T15:36:54Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Is that natural, or did someone plant a different variety of trees on purpose? > **[Forest swastika](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_swastika)** > > The forest swastika was a patch of larch trees covering 0.36Ā ha (0.89 acres) area of pine forest near Zernikow, Uckermark district, Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany, arranged with their light colors to look like a swastika. > Reports say the larches were planted in 1938. It is unclear how the trees came to be planted and arranged in such a fashion. It seems\[how?\] they were planted in commemoration of Adolf Hitler's birthday, either by local Hitler Youth members or by a warden. > For a few wee... ā€œIt was probably planted near the height of Hitlerā€™s power, in the 1930s.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/12 "2011-11-13T15:54:57Z")
I have a lot of images in a password protected file. If my family was going through my computer I doubt they would go to the trouble of finding someone to hack into the files. When my dad died he had some kind of MS program for managing finances that was password protected. It was pretty clear that there was pertinent info in there and he didnā€™t leave the password anywhere. Other than trying a few obvious password guesses nobody went to any effort to get into that so I doubt they would go to any great effort to get into files in my computer that are named in a way that kind of hints at whats in them. If I were to die while that file was openā€¦yes, I would have some surprised family members. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/13 "2011-11-13T16:12:59Z")
When I die Iā€™ll be dead. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/14 "2011-11-13T16:18:38Z")
No. However, I am concerned about how/whether any of my heirs would be able to wrap up my online affairs (website, various email accounts, PayPal and web-only bank accounts, etc) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/15 "2011-11-13T17:53:19Z")
CCleaner - has an option to run & clean every time you reboot. Itā€™s under options, settings So in my case thereā€™s never more than a days history on my pc. Not that I do much except visit the Straight Dope, twitter and news sites. I prefer keeping the cookies cleaned off regularly. I do have a few cookies excluded so they donā€™t get deleted. That way I donā€™t have to constantly log in to the Dope or twitter. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/16 "2011-11-13T19:02:35Z")
My browser is also set to delete history and all cookies every time it closes. I have things set up so Windows does not display recently viewed documents. Iā€™ve told two of my friends that if I die unexpectedly, they are in charge of going through all my stuff. As fellow collectors, they will know what is valuable. As I dated one of them for several years, she knows whatā€™s in my porn files already. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/17 "2011-11-13T22:25:23Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > ETA: Apparently Iā€™m OK with the rest of your list. :dubious: That reminds me of an old joke. It involves genocide so Iā€™ve spoilered it to minimise offence怂 Hitler and Stalin were sitting in a infernal coffeeshop discussing their mass-murder. Stalin said ā€œI killed two million jewsā€ Hitler replied, ā€œWell, I killed three million jews, and a postmanā€ Stalin asked quizically; ā€œand a postman???ā€ Hitler replied, ā€œsee no one cares about the jewsā€ I guess I should add ā€œcracks horrible genocide jokesā€ to my list ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/18 "2011-11-13T22:38:55Z")
**Namkcalb** As a Jew, I donā€™t find the joke offensive however 3 million Jews? Hitler killed at least 6 million Jews. Iā€™m guessing Stalinā€™s figure was much higher as well. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/19 "2011-11-13T22:43:28Z")
Not at all. Iā€™m pretty dull. No one will be at all surprised to find I like naked women, and beyond that, I have a tame browser history. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777/20 "2011-11-13T22:48:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > No. However, I am concerned about how/whether any of my heirs would be able to wrap up my online affairs (website, various email accounts, PayPal and web-only bank accounts, etc) This right here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-worry-about-who-might-read-your-computer-history-if-you-were-to-suddenly-die/602777.md?page=2)