"If relatives find their loved one is not on the register they just think 'well he mustn't have wanted to', " he said.

BBC: Organ donor card

If you want your significant other (and not relatives) to make health decisions for you, make sure to update your medical power of attorney.

FORBES: Investing

Mr Webb also called for a greater use of "kinship care", where children are looked after by relatives or friends if their parents are not capable of looking after them, saying vulnerable children might do better if kept in their own communities.

BBC: Education & Family

In one case, it is not clear if authorities even informed a patient's relatives about his condition after the virus was discovered.

NPR: China's Bird Flu Response Shows New Openness

The BMA guidance stresses that relatives should always be properly consulted, even if official consent is not required.

BBC: BMA issues organ guidance

The new law, applying to purchases made after Nov. 6, also says a person may not take a credit if the home is purchased from a spouse or the spouse's lineal relatives.

WSJ: Home Buyer's Tax Credits -- What You Need to Know

That's not very reassuring for anyone skittish about linking their commentary to a Facebook account relatives might see, if they're even willing to join a social network in the first place.

ENGADGET: Mozilla Persona sign-in launches in beta, skips the social networking ball and chain (video)