Ever wonder what will happen to your Facebook account after you pass away? It may be morbid to think about, but the website created something called a legacy contact that users could begin to utilize on Feb. 12. A legacy contact is someone a user can choose to look over the deceased person’s account. However, the account must be memorialized first, which can be done by requesting to Facebook — given that the request is deemed valid.
A memorialized account will have the word “remembering” next to the late user’s name on the remembering user’s profile. Family and friends will be able to post memories on the remembered users’ Timelines, and content they previously shared will still be visible. Memorialized accounts won’t show up on “People You May Know” or give friends a notification for their birthdays.
The legacy contact will be able to write a final post on the person’s profile on their behalf or post information about the memorial service or funeral plans. The contact may also respond to new friend requests and update the profile picture or cover picture. This is so Facebook friends who live out of the area or aren’t in close contact with the deceased are able to make arrangements if they’d like.
The legacy contact will not be able to log onto the account, remove past posts or things the account owner shared, read messages sent to other friends, or remove any friends.
Setting up a legacy contact is fairly simple. Go to settings, then security, and the option is at the bottom of the list. If something happens with the legacy contact, like a falling out, then there’s an option to change the legacy contact.
Users must be 18 years or older to choose a contact, and this feature is currently only available in the United States. But Facebook is looking to expand this into other countries soon. This feature is 100 percent optional, and users also have the option to have their accounts deleted once they have passed instead of having it memorialized.
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