February 19, 2015
Latest Technology In Computers
We’ve seen it all before: a loved one dies, yet their Facebook page continues to live on in perpetuity. We get habitual reminders to wish them a happy birthday annually despite the fact that our dearly departed has — um — departed. Facebook has now come to the rescue with a viable solution.
Previously, Facebook would freeze your page upon notification of your death, leaving it to float in Internet limbo and unchanged for an eternity. Now, the social network will let you designate a ‘legacy contact’ to take care of your profile when you die.
Once you designate a Facebook legacy contact, he or she will be able to manage your page so that it can be turned into an appropriate memorial in your honor. They will be able to post an announcement of your death that will remain permanently displayed at the top of your profile, as well as add/delete photos (perhaps of your memorial services) and even respond to new friend requests on your behalf. You can even leave behind permission for them to download an archive of your entire history of posts and photos. Your legacy contact will not have access to your private messages, nor will they be able to edit what you’ve already posted, what your friends continue to post on the page, remove tagged images, or delete your account.
If you want to select a legacy contact, you can do so now. Simply open Settings, choose Security, then Legacy Contact at the bottom of the page. There, you can designate an existing Facebook friend and grant them permissions. Be forewarned that you are only allowed to choose 1 person and there is currently no emergency back-up in case you both meet your demise together. If for some reason you don’t choose a legacy contact on Facebook but do name a digital heir in your will, Facebook will designate that person once they’re notified about it.
Realizing that modern technology has made this sort of planning a necessity, Facebook has taken the necessary steps to secure your digital life beyond your actual one. Now if only Twitter, Instagram, as well as our online blogs and other social media accounts would just follow suit.
