Gmail has a SECRET ‘self-destruct’ button that everyone needs to turn on today

EVER wondered what happens to all your data once you’ve passed?

It’s a morbid thought but much of our digital life will linger on when we’re no longer here.

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But there is a way to set some of it to disappear – or it can be sensitively preserved, as we’ve seen with memorial accounts on Facebook.

In the case of emails, you might think it’s better to just get rid of it all, and thankfully with Gmail you can.

Known officially as the Inactive Account Manager, it’s not exclusively meant for when the owner has died and can be deployed anytime an account goes disused for an extended period.

You can set it up now by going to the Inactive Account Manager page.

“Decide when Google should consider your account to be inactive and what we do with your data afterwards,” Google explains.

“You can share it with someone that you trust or ask Google to delete it.”

Click the Start button and decide how long Google should wait before deleting your account data.

You can choose from three months, six months, 12 months and 18 months.

And just in case you’ve simply not used it for a long while, the tech giant will also send you a warning one month before the purge is due to take place.

This will be sent “multiple times” via your secondary email and phone number.

Next, you can pick up to ten people Google can notify when your account is inactive.

You can also give them access to some of your data if desired.

It’s even possible to switch on an autoreply message that will be sent to people who attempt to email you once the account is gone.

Finally, you need to review the plans you’ve set by tapping Review Plan then Confirm Plan.

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In other news, the new Harry Potter video game Hogwarts Legacy will feature some familiar faces despite being set hundreds of years before the majority of characters were even born.

A major Mars mission to find out whether life ever existed on the planet could be delayed by up to six years at best, as Europe scrambles to replace Russian parts.

Internet users have been urged not to use a popular piece of anti-virus software over fears it could be exploited by the Kremlin to spy or launch cyberattacks.

And Instagram could be planning to bring back a way to see what your friends like on the platform.

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