Facebook now allows users in the US to pick a friend or relative to manage their accounts when they pass away.
A designated ‘legacy contact’ would inform Facebook after an account holder dies to have the person’s profile turned into a memorial page, the company said.
Until now, Facebook offered only a basic memorialised account which could only be viewed but could not be altered after someone passed away.
With the new feature, legacy contacts will be allowed to write a post to be displayed at the top of the deceased person’s timeline and respond to new friend requests. They will also be able to update profile and cover photos, and can be given permission to download an archive of photos, posts and profile information.
However, a Facebook heir will not be able to tinker with the other settings of the account, nor read the person’s private messages.
Appointing a legacy contact is optional. People can also choose to have their Facebook account deleted permanently after their death.
Legacy contacts can be added by going to the account settings section.
The feature will be rolled out in the US first. It’s not clear when it will be available in other countries.
IDG News Service
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