Ever thought of what will happen to your data on the internet when you die? Well, Google has launched a new feature that enables its users to give a directive on what they want done with their data after death, or when they can no longer use their account for any reason.

The feature, Inactive Account Manager, gives a ‘Timeout Period’ option, whereby you set a duration after which your account can be classed as inactive. The timeout period starts with your last sign-in to your Google account, although users will be alerted via email or text message days prior to the timeout period.

The Inactive Account Manager also allows users to add trusted contacts of a friend or family member who should be notified that you are no longer using your account. You can also share data with these contacts if you like, or optionally delete your account.

This data will include photos, emails and documents and the feature applies to the following services; +1s; Blogger; Contacts and Circles; Drive; Gmail; Google+ Profiles, Pages and Streams; Picasa Web Albums; Google Voice and YouTube.

“We hope that this new feature will enable you to plan your digital afterlife — in a way that protects your privacy and security — and make life easier for your loved ones after you’re gone”, reads a section of the post made by Product Manager, Andreas Tuerk, on Google’s Public Policy Blog.

Think, you get up to the Pearly Gates working out how you are going to explain all those bad things you did in life and St Peter says, “Did you remember to make your Google account inactive?”