When one of your close friends, or someone in your family dies, there are things that you need to consider. Funeral arrangements should be made, wills must be reviewed, and so forth.
However, this generation needs to make sure that their loved ones are not able to access social media.
While most of us have multiple social media accounts, it’s more likely that you’ve never had the need to turn off another’s account, particularly if they are deceased.
These accounts have become part of our digital identity in the 21st Century. A person’s account can provide a glimpse into their past and help you to understand who they are as a person. It can be difficult to say goodbye to a deceased account.
Fortunately, the Mirror has put together this handy guide on everything you need to know including steps you can take with your own account.
So let’s start with Facebook, arguably the biggest social network there is.
What’s important to know about this site is that switching off someone’s account is not the only option, it can also be memorialized.
But if you are set on removing your loved one’s account from Facebook, you’ll need to prove that you are an immediate family member or executor of the account holder.
Facebook states that the fastest way of doing this is to scan and send your loved one’s death certificate.
But if you don’t have this, you can submit one of the following to prove your authority:
● Power of attorney
● Birth certificate
● Last will and testament
● Estate letter
And one of the following for proof of death:
● Obituary
● Memorial card
How can I memorialize a Facebook account?
It’s not easy to delete all of the photos that are stored on Facebook.
That’s where memorializing an account should be considered. It can serve as a gathering place for family and friends to share fond memories.
Once Facebook is informed of an account holder’s passing, the word Remembering will show next to their name.
So what’s different about a memorialized account?
The only difference is that the account will not be accessible to anyone. It also won’t show in suggested friends or send birthday reminders.
Pages, where the sole admin is an account that’s been memorialized, will also be deleted.
While no one can log in to the account, it can be managed by someone else providing they’ve been added as a legacy contact.
What is a Legacy Contact?
A legacy contact is someone who has been granted permission to manage the account. They are able to do the following:
● Write a pinned post for the memorialized profile
● Respond to new friend requests
● Update the profile picture and cover photo
What are my options for my own account?
What happens to your account in the event of your own death might not be something that you’ve thought about but Facebook now allows you to prepare for this.
A legacy contact can manage a memorialized account, as mentioned previously. You can assign these contacts with the following steps:
● Go to your settings under the Settings & Privacy tab
● Click Memorialisation settings.
● Type in a friend’s name and then click Add.
● To let your friend know they’re now your legacy contact, click Send.
If your account is memorialized, your legacy contact will be notified.
If you are unable to live with your account, another option is to have it permanently deleted.
If someone contacts Facebook about your death, all messages, photos and comments will be permanently deleted.
Again, this option can be found in your Settings & Privacy tab. Scroll down to the bottom and click on Request your account be deleted following your death and then click Delete after Death.
What about Instagram and Twitter?
Instagram accounts can be memorialized or deleted, just like Facebook. And in doing so also means that no one can log into the account and it won’t appear in certain places on the app, like Explore.
While all of the user’s photos and videos will stay on Instagram, no one will be able to make any changes including the profile photo.
And of course, you can also get in touch to ask that the account is deleted. To do this you’ll need to provide proof that you are immediate family or in charge of the estate.
Twitter operates in the same manner as Facebook and Instagram. Only those with the required proof can request that an account be deleted. This includes those in charge of the estate or their immediate family.
Once you’ve contacted Twitter, they’ll be in touch to ask for more details including information about the deceased, a copy of your ID, and a copy of the deceased’s death certificate.