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Bill Would Allow Custodian To Take Over Online Accounts

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) —  A proposal moving through the Florida Legislature would allow people to designate a custodian for their online accounts after they die or become incapacitated.

This includes social media, email and online financial accounts.

The Senate passed the bill Tuesday unanimously. It has also passed committee reviews in the House.

A similar bill failed last year in part because of opposition from Internet service providers. They feared it would force them to violate their guarantees of privacy to subscribers. The bill has been revised to require that owners of online accounts explicitly agree in a will or an online agreement to approve handing over control of the accounts to a custodian.

Sen. Dorothy Hukill said the bill will guarantee privacy while allowing recovery of valuable digital assets after the owner's death.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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