It’s that subject that nobody really wants to talk about however it is something that is being addressed and can provide a little piece of mind to Facebook Users on what happens to a users Facebook account when the unfortunate happens. Today, Facebook introduced what they are calling Legacy Contacts.
Users can easily choose a legacy contact, either a member of the family or a friend that can manage the account of a Facebook User when that user passes away. Again, a great deal of trust would need to be exercised as that person has the power to notify of the passing, Facebook will then Memorialize the account and allow the Legacy Contact Chosen to “Write a post to display at the top of the memorialized Timeline (for example, to announce a memorial service or share a special message), Respond to new friend requests from family members and friends who were not yet connected on Facebook Update the profile picture and cover photo.”
According to a release from Facebook, The legacy contact will not be able to log in as the person who passed away or see that person’s private messages. Facebook staff has stated this was done after talking to members who experienced loss and wanted to offer more to those grieving than the basic memorialized viewable only accounts offered in the past.
All of this is not required and the option is also available for Facebook Users to elect to just have the account deleted upon their passing. This is all coordinated through the settings tab, then the security tab. Users will see Legacy Contacts as pictured in our screen capture this morning.
The Service according to Facebook is launched in the United States first and is hopefull to expand to more countries over time.