If someone you know on Facebook passes away, you and your friends can collectively create a permanent memorial in honor of the dearly departed. If enough people from the deceased member’s existing friends list contact Facebook to announce the death, Facebook will deactivate the profile but leave it listed as an eternal memorial.
According to Facebook Chief Security Officer Max Kelly: “When an account is memorialized, we also set privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile or locate it in search. We try to protect the deceased’s privacy by removing sensitive information such as contact information and status updates. Memorializing an account also prevents anyone from logging into it in the future, while still enabling friends and family to leave posts on the profile Wall in remembrance.”
