Your Digital Legacy
When it comes to end-of-life planning, most people realize they need to arrange to leave their physical assets to heirs. But in the brave new world that is 2018, when someone dies, they must make arrangements for their digital legacy.
How to Manage Digital Assets
Facebook
With nearly three billion subscribers, Facebook is the most popular social media network. It offers two options for profiles of people who have died:
- Memorialization– your profile can be memorialized to serve as a gathering place for family and friends to post memories and remembrances. You can choose this option in advance. Just select a “legacy contact” to administer the account after you die. The legacy contact (who needs to be one of your Facebook friends) will manage the account. They will also update profile pictures and respond to friend requests. With limited capabilities, legacy content subscribers won’t read your private messages or gain full access to your profile.
- Permanent deletion– Request this option in advance. Permanently deleted accounts won’t appear on Facebook. They are ineligible for reactivation. If you choose to permanently delete, you will need to select a legacy contact. Designees can’t log into the user’s account to post status updates or otherwise alter the account.
Twitter
With 328 million monthly active users, Twitter is one of the most popular social media networks. Their death policy states the only acceptable means of activation for deactivating a deceased person’s account. It is based on the use of a verified family member or estate executor. After the deactivation request is received, Twitter customer service validates details. These include the death certificate, obituary information, and requester identification. Only then will the deceased’s account be removed from the site.
Twitter also states they are unable to provide account access to anyone other than the account owner. This is regardless of their relationship to the deceased. So, without proof of death, vital statistics, and no memorialization options, a dead person’s Twitter account is left as is. One way around this is to provide your username and password to someone you trust, so they can deactivate your account when you die.
Instagram
Since Instagram, which has 800 million users, is owned by Facebook, their policies mirror the parent company. The exception is that Instagram does not allow account holders to choose removal or memorialization in advance, and do not provide account access or login details for memorialized accounts. Again, the best work-around is to provide loved ones with usernames and passwords.
In a Nutshell
Since death policies vary by social media account, it would be impossible to include each set of guidelines in this post. We recommend including important usernames and account passwords in your pre-planning. We can keep this information in your pre-planning folder for use once the time comes.
About Foothill Funeral & Cremation
Would you prefer a traditional service or would you like to use your memorial to laugh with the ones you leave behind? Either way, give us a call (626) 335-0615 or drop by our Glendora showroom. In Covina, our relationship with Sacred Heart Chapel is the perfect place for mourners to host funerals and memorial services in a grandiose yet intimate setting. We proudly serve the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles Basin, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Working in the mortuary industry since 1996, we have worked hard to build a reputation of quality, sincerity and trust. Please allow us to help you at your time of need or in the future. Call today (626) 335-0615 or drop by our showroom.
