February 23, 2015

Facebook has become a hotspot for all kinds of users, but one of the challenges presented to the company was how to handle what happens to an account after someone passed away. Without password access, there was no way for loved ones to login and either eliminate the account or figure out another way to deal with it.

Now, users can choose who will manage their account after they pass away. Users can now choose a person who will serve as their legacy contact, giving that person privileges to post on their account after they pass away, update the profile picture and cover photo, and respond to friend requests. Users may also select to have their account deleted after they pass away. 

Interested in taking the next step? Look for the options under “security settings”. Users in the U.S. are eligible to do this, but the other person has to be a Facebook user. This highlights the importance of thinking about not just your social media accounts but all of your other “digital assets”. If you have other online accounts, will anyone have access to them after you pass away? Have you stored the passwords somewhere safe? There are many reasons you may wish to have someone manage your Facebook account after you pass away, but you should also think more broadly about what other online accounts could become “locked” or otherwise inaccessible should your loved ones want to get in. To talk through the basics of estate planning in a digital age, contact our offices at info@lawesq.net.