Designate A Friend To Post On Your Facebook Post Life
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami/AP) — Facebook users can now leave an online legacy after they die.
The social network giant announced on Thursday that users can designate a "legacy contact" who can post on their friend's page post life.
Previously, the accounts were "memorialized" after death, or locked so that no one could log in.
But Facebook says its users wanted more choice.
Beginning in the U.S., "legacy contacts" can respond to new friend requests, update profile pictures and cover photos. However, those who aren't keen on posthumous postings can also have their accounts deleted after their death, which was not possible before.
If you want someone to manage your account after you die, click on the upside-down triangle on the top right corner of your page and find "security settings." For U.S. users there will be an option to edit your legacy contact, who must be a Facebook user. But you don't have to pick someone else to manage your account. You can also check a box to permanently delete your account when you die.
The person you choose to manage your account won't be notified of your choice until your Facebook account is memorialized. But you can choose to send them a message right away.
Accounts are memorialized at the request of loved ones, who must provide proof of the person's death, such as an obituary. Facebook tries to ensure that the account of the dead user doesn't show up as a "suggested friend" or in other ways that could upset the person's loved ones.
Facebook, which has nearly 1.4 billion users, won't say how many accounts are memorialized, though Facebook product manager Vanessa Callison-Burch said there have been "hundreds of thousands" of requests from loved ones to do so.
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