As of February 2015, Facebook has unveiled a new policy that allows users to choose a “legacy contact” to maintain their Facebook when they die.
Facebook writes in its blog post:
Until now, when someone passed away, we offered a basic memorialized account which was viewable, but could not be managed by anyone. By talking to people who have experienced loss, we realized there is more we can do to support those who are grieving and those who want a say in what happens to their account after death.
Facebook spokeswoman Jodi Seth said that coming up with this idea for a legacy contact “took a lot of thought.”
Back in 2007, when a user passed away the account would be frozen. Everything would be left on the users page as is; It became “memorialized,” and ads were not permitted. Since then the social network has received “hundreds of thousands” of requests from people who want to manage a profile post-death.
Facebook has created this legacy contact in efforts to better serve the deceased members grieving family and friends.
What is this “legacy contact” allowed to do after you pass?
They will be able to:
- Write a post to display at the top of your memorialized timeline (where it will also say Remembering..)
- Update your profile picture and cover photo
- Respond to new friend requests
- Download an archive of the photos, posts, and profile info that you shared on Facebook, if you give them those rights
They will not be able to:
- Log in as you or read your private messages
- Delete your posts, photos, or anything else posted on your page
- Delete your account entirely
Only one legacy contact can be selected, and after the Facebook users death, the account cannot be passed on to anyone else.
If you don’t choose a legacy contact, Facebook will instead freeze the account after learning you have passed. Your account will be viewable, but no edits will be permitted. According to the WSJ, you can also choose to have your presence deleted entirely.
Facebook spokeswoman Jodi Seth says they are continuing to think about how it might allow for contingent legacy contacts.
According to Elite Daily: If the user doesn’t select a legacy contact but names a digital heir in his or her will, that person becomes the legacy contact. Digital heirs, also known as inactive account managers became available by Google in 2013. They can access things like a user’s Gmail or cloud storage.
Finally, how do you choose your legacy contact (who must be your Facebook friend) on Facebook?
To choose your legacy contact, open “settings,” at the top right corner (drop down menu on your screen), choose “security”, and you will find “legacy contact” at the bottom of the page. Then click the legacy contacts abilities.
Additionally, you can choose whether or not to allow Facebook to inform the legacy contact of your selection.
While all of this seems very morbid, and to some maybe unnecessary, to those that have had someone pass and have gone through this issue with wishing they could keep their loved ones memory alive through their digital world on Facebook, it’s nice to now have that option.
Everyone in the U.S. now has this option, and Facebook has plans to expand this policy in to other regions.
What are your thoughts on this?
Is Facebook doing a good job with this policy, enabling the legacy contact to keep the memories of the deceased alive?
[Featured Image: Field Guide Gizmodo]
What Happens to Your Facebook When You Die? is a post from: LifeDaily