Apple must give grieving husband access to cloud-stored family photos, judge rules

MarketWatch:

Before his sudden death, Ric Swezey was the family photographer, capturing memorable moments with his iPhone and digital camera. When Swezey died in an accident two years ago, he left behind his husband, their two kids — and access to precious photos stored in the 45-year-old’s password-protected Apple account.

Now a Manhattan judge is ordering Apple to give Swezey’s surviving husband, Nicholas Scandalios, the needed access to any photos behind the Apple ID.

The Cupertino, Calif. technology colossus didn’t fight the request, but said it needed to see a court order before it could open up Swezey’s account.

This is a good, fair ruling that helps a grieving family recover precious memories. It’s also a good reminder to include this kind of stuff in a “digital will” or, at least, be sure others have access to this kind of personal information.