[ChrisNorstrom]

I have to strongly agree with Google and Microsoft's policies of releasing all emails upon death to my family.

Email is a dumping ground for everything from signup confirmations to evidence, business dealings, and an entire person's life. Since none of us plan ahead for death, when we do die we leave a LOT of unfinished business or outstanding orders. Most of the people that we interact with, do business with will have no idea what happened to us. Their only way of finding out is to send an email and hope for a return.

The family might be able to use emails to find evidence of a homicide, or the last location of the person (if they went missing). Or the family can finish up any unfinished business the deceased had, answer and respond to people who were expecting a reply from the (now) deceased person, or complaints. Imagine dying in the middle of fulfilling a successful kickstarter campaign. Imagine all those angry people trying to figure out why you haven't responded in months. The only way your family would find out about your Kickstarter campaign is through your emails. And that's just one example.

Emotionally releasing all your info might bother you, but logically it makes a lot of sense. If you're worried about your family finding out that you had an affair or were secretly a hermaphrodite or cross-dresser or into some real kinky shit, why would it matter to you? You're dead. Gone from the earth forever, never to feel pain, joy, or embarrassment again.

[prodigal_erik]

Procedural customer support stuff is one thing, but for a sysadmin to blindly disclose messages between me and my close living friends is appalling. They entrusted me with confidential facts and controversial ideas, and people have literally been ostracized or murdered over affairs and kinky shit.

[ChrisNorstrom]

Hmmm now that you mention it. I completely forgot that your emails can contain damaging info about other (still living) people. Then again, in a world where it's so easy to copy + paste, it's foolish on the part of the discloser to throw around such personal details in an email message.