It might not be something that the generation before us had to consider, but turning off someone’s Facebook page after they’ve died is just one more thing that needs to be arranged.
Many of us have social media profiles but if you’ve never had to turn off someone’s account before, you probably wouldn’t even know how.
Our little corners of the internet hold so much of our personal information, and with regular memories popping up and those handy birthday reminders, simply leaving it idle could lead to some pretty painful reminders.
So we’ve 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 memorialised.
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
You can submit a request to Facebook via this link.
How do I memorialise an account?
With so many photos stored on our Facebook accounts, you may not like the idea of simply deleting all of those precious memories.
That’s where memorialising an account should be considered. It can become a place where family and friends can gather to share 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 memorialised account?
One important difference is that no one will be allowed to log in to the account. It also won’t show in suggested friends, or send birthday reminders.
Pages where the sole admin is an account that’s been memorialised 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.
You can send a memorialisation request here.
What is a legacy contact?
A legacy contact is someone who has been given permission to manage the account. They are able to do the following:
● Write a pinned post for the memorialised 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.
As previously mentioned, a legacy contact is able to manage a memorialised account. 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.
Your legacy contact will be notified if your account becomes memorialised.
Another option is to choose to have your account permanently deleted should you pass away.
So if someone informs Facebook of your death, all of your messages, photos, posts, comments, reactions and information will be immediately and permanently removed.
Again, this option can be found in your Settings & Privacy tab. Scroll down and click on Request that your account be deleted after you pass away and click Delete after death.
What about Twitter and Instagram?
Similarly to Facebook, accounts on Instagram can either be deleted or memorialised. 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 in Instagram, no one will be able to make any changes including the profile photo.
If you’d like to request an account to be memorialised, submit this form to Instagram.
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 works in very much the same way as Instagram and Facebook whereby only those who have the required proof are able to request an account is deleted - those in charge of the estate or 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.
Providing this evidence is to help prevent any false reports of death.
For funeral notices in your area visit funeral-notices.co.uk
