熱門時事分享：人生登出後，網路帳號歸誰？法律還沒準備好的數位遺產時代｜20261006
目錄
2026 年 10 月 06 日｜HOT 用英文聊時事｜S1 EP47
歡迎收聽《HOT 用英文聊時事》，我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師。不知道你有沒有想過，如果有一天你突然登出人生了，手機裡成千上萬張的照片、IG 上存的回憶，還有你數位錢包裡的加密貨幣，會發生什麼事？過去長輩留下的是房子、車子、存摺，但我們這一代人的資產和回憶，更多是活在雲端裡的帳號和一串私鑰。這聽起來像是很遙遠的話題，但只要我們還生活在數位世界裡，就沒有人能夠置身事外。今天，我們就來聊聊「數位遺產」。
Welcome to “Hot English Topics.” This is Clarence from CLN. Have you ever thought about what happens to your digital life after you’re gone? Thousands of photos on your phone, memories saved on Instagram, and maybe some crypto sitting in a digital wallet — what happens to all of that? Our parents’ generation left behind houses, cars, and bank passbooks. But for our generation, so much of what we own, and so many of our memories, are tied to online accounts and private keys. It might sound like a distant, abstract topic, but as long as we’re living in a digital world, none of us can afford to ignore it. So today, let’s talk about “digital inheritance.”
其實，科技公司早就開始處理這個問題。Apple、Google 和 Meta 都提供了不同形式的生前規劃工具，讓使用者指定聯絡人、分享部分資料，或安排帳號在身故後該如何處理。不過，平台能處理的範圍終究有限。一旦使用者沒有留下明確指示，帳號裡的資料能不能被繼承、誰有權取得，以及能使用到什麼程度，最後還是得回到法律。
As it turns out, tech companies have been dealing with this issue for a long time already. Apple, Google, and Meta all offer various planning tools that let users set up a legacy contact, share certain data, or decide what happens to their account after they pass away. But there isn’t so much these platforms can do. If a user hasn’t left clear instructions, questions like whether the data in their account can be passed on, who has the right to access it, and how far that access goes — those questions end up in the hands of the law.
以德國為例，他們採取的是民法上的「概括繼承」邏輯。2018 年，德國聯邦最高法院確認，社群平台的使用契約，原則上可以由繼承人承受；到了 2024 年，法院更進一步認定，繼承人不只可以讀取帳號內容，也可能繼續使用帳號發文互動。
Germany is a good example here. It follows the civil law idea of “universal succession.” In 2018, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice ruled that, in principle, heirs can inherit user contracts with social media platforms. Then in 2024, the court went even further, saying that heirs aren’t just allowed to read the content in an account, but could actually keep using it to post and interact with others.
英國則從「數位資產算不算財產」著手。2025 年通過的《財產（數位資產等）法》，確認部分加密貨幣、加密代幣與 NFT，即使不符合傳統財產分類，仍可能受到財產權保障，也能納入繼承。
The UK is coming at this from a different angle, asking whether digital assets even count as property in the first place. Under the Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025, some cryptocurrencies, crypto tokens, and NFTs can now be protected as property, even if they don’t fit the traditional concept. That means they can also be passed down through inheritance.
美國則更重視使用者生前留下的指示。如果使用者已透過平台指定聯絡人，或在遺囑、信託中安排數位資產的處理方式，原則上會優先依照這些指示執行。The US puts more weight on the instructions people leave behind while they’re still alive. If someone has already set up a legacy contact through a platform, or planned how their digital assets should be handled in a will or a trust, those instructions generally take priority.
德國關注帳號能不能被繼承，英國處理數位資產能不能被視為財產，美國則強調使用者生前的選擇。切入點雖然不同，卻都說明數位遺產早已不只是帳號管理問題，而是牽涉繼承、財產、隱私與平台治理的社會課題。
Germany focuses on whether an account itself can be inherited. The UK asks whether digital assets can count as property. And the US emphasizes the choices people make while they’re still alive. Although each takes a different approach, they all point to the same thing: digital inheritance isn’t just about managing an account anymore. It also involves inheritance law, property rights, privacy, and platform governance.
那台灣呢？我們目前還沒有一部專門處理數位遺產的法律。根據公視《獨立特派員》的報導，在專法出來之前，主要還是以《民法》既有的繼承規範，或是靠當事人生前預立遺囑、規劃信託來處理。2026年 6月，《虛擬資產服務法》三讀通過了，但這部法主要規範的是交易所怎麼保管客戶資產、怎麼落實實名認證這些監理面向，還沒有涵蓋到「繼承」這一塊，施行時間也尚未公布。
So what about Taiwan? Right now, there isn’t a specific law governing digital inheritance. According to a report by PTS’s IN-NEWS, since there isn’t yet a dedicated law, people mainly rely on the existing inheritance rules under the Civil Code, or they plan ahead by creating a will or a trust. In June 2026, the Virtual Asset Service Act passed its third reading. But this law mainly focuses on regulation — things like how exchanges should safeguard customers’ assets and carry out real-name verification. It doesn’t yet cover inheritance, and there’s still no announced date for when it will take effect.
這種法規空窗期，在真實生活裡會變成什麼樣子呢？假設一位長期投資加密貨幣的年輕人不幸意外離世，他在法律上的法定繼承人，理應有權繼承這筆財產，法條上也沒有疑慮。但真正棘手的問題出在技術層面，如果他生前沒有交代冷錢包的私鑰或密碼，就算法律判決這筆財產完全歸繼承人所有，在現實中，這筆數位遺產恐怕永遠也無法被解鎖。
So what does this gap in the legal system actually look like in real life? Say a young person who’s been investing in crypto for years suddenly passes away. Legally, their heirs should have every right to inherit that money — there’s no question about that under the law. The real problem shows up on the technical side. If this person never shared the private key or password to their cold wallet, then even if the court rules that the assets belong entirely to the heirs, in reality, that digital inheritance might remain locked forever.
聊到這裡，你可能會想，道理大家都懂，那為什麼多數人還是不去處理呢？一部分是心理層面的問題，提前交代這些事感覺像是在觸霉頭、觸碰禁忌，尤其對還不到四、五十歲的人來說，這件事感覺離自己非常遙遠，不急著現在就要面對。
At this point, you might be thinking — okay, we get the logic, so why don’t more people actually deal with this? Part of it comes down to psychology. Planning ahead for something like this can feel like bad luck or a taboo, especially if you’re not even in your forties or fifties yet. It feels far away, like something you don’t need to face right now.
另一部分則是實際操作上的障礙，設定遺產聯絡人、交代私鑰保管方式，聽起來就像多一件麻煩的行政作業，加上每個人身上的帳號太多、每個平台規則又不一樣，不知道該從何開始，於是就一直往後拖，直到真的來不及，家人才發現什麼都沒交代清楚。
The other part comes down to practical issues. Setting up a legacy contact, or figuring out how to safely pass on a private key, can feel like just another annoying administrative task. And on top of that, most of us have accounts across platforms, with each platform doing things its own way. It’s hard to know where to begin, so people keep putting it off until it’s too late, and their family finds out that nothing was ever sorted out.
在法律還沒跟上腳步之前，我們能夠做什麼呢？舉例來說：可以列一份平台、資產清單，不用詳細把每一個密碼都寫出來，只要選定一個信任的人知道「東西放在哪裡」就好。同時，也可以事先開啟 Apple、Facebook、Google 等平台內建的遺產功能。當然，如果資產金額比較大，也可以考慮找專業律師預立遺囑或規劃財產信託。
So what can we do while we wait for the law to catch up? For example, we can make a list of our platforms and assets. We don’t need to write down every single password in detail; we just need to make sure one person we trust knows where everything is. We can also turn on the built-in legacy features that platforms like Apple, Facebook, and Google already offer. And of course, if we have significant assets, it may help to work with a lawyer to set up a will or a trust in advance.
我們在追求財富自由的同時，也應該學會處理自己的數位身後事。這不是觸霉頭，而是留給在乎的人，最後一份負責任的禮物。
As we work toward financial freedom, we should also think about how to handle our digital affairs after we’re gone. This isn’t bad luck; it’s one last responsible gift for the people we care about.
我是 CLN 的 Clarence 老師，我們下次見！This is Clarence from CLN. See you again soon!
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