Life may end, but Facebook goes on. As such European users of the social network are now able to set who gets control over their profile should they pass away.
Users in the United States have had the option to set up a Facebook will by giving a legacy contact the ability to manage the account after death. Others have previously been limited to simply setting up a memorial account, but the roll out in the United Kingdom allows users to nominate a person for ongoing updating of the profile.
For a profile to continue living under the control of a loved one, Facebook has to first be informed of the passing of the user. The information will turn the profile to a memorial. Once that happens, the person granted posthumous control will see a “manage” option on the profile of the deceased.
This grants the user the ability to change the profile picture and cover image on the account, as well as post new statuses and respond to friend requests.
Legacy contacts will be able to download an archive of the account, creating a documentation of all the posts and content shared on the social network. Private messages, though, will remain private and cannot be viewed.
Setting up a legacy contact can be done through the Security settings on a Facebook profile. A “legacy contact” option should appear, giving you the ability to nominate the person who will control your online presence after you’re gone.
Alternatively, you can choose to have your entire account go ghost and be removed from the site entirely upon death. Your legacy contact, however, cannot choose to delete your account.
H/T TheNextWeb | Photo via Jakub T. Jankiewicz/Flickr (CC BY SA 2.0)