What to do with Your Deceased Loved One’s Social Media Accounts
There are a lot of
loose ends to tie up after someone dies. The fate of a Twitter account
might seem trivial when a loved one dies.
Sure, social media handles probably won't be worth as much as bank
accounts. They're easy to forget ...
until they remind you they're still out there on the web.
When a late friend
or family member dies, you don't want his or her name to pop up on someone's
suggested friends list. And something as simple as logging into Facebook
and finding a birthday reminder or notification from your loved one can be
incredibly upsetting. It's awkward. It's sad. It's unnerving.
If you have your loved one’s username and
password you can simply log in to the account, download anything that you want
to save and then deactivate or delete the account.
If you do not have your loved one’s username and
password, unfortunately none of the major social media sites will give it to
you. Each social media website has its own rules for dealing with
death. Deactivating these accounts involves filling out forms, proving
the death actually occurred and proving you have the right to make these
decisions. Here’s what you need to know for some of the major social media
sites:
Facebook
Once a Facebook user has passed, Facebook
provides two options regarding what to do with the account. Both options
require an immediate family member or the Executor of the estate to fill out a
“Special Request for Deceased Person’s Account” form:
- Close the account– Facebook will permanently delete the account.
- Turn the account into a "memorial page"– A memorialized account creates a space where friends and family can share photos, stories and memories. Facebook will leave the user profile as is, add a “Remembering” label beside the user’s name, and prevent the profile from showing up as an active account, such as in the “People You May Know” section.Note: While a Facebook user is alive they can appoint a "legacy contact" to manage this memorial page after they pass. In this case the legacy contact will be able to update the profile photo and respond to friend requests. They will not be able to read your messages or change things that you shared in the past.
YouTube
An immediate family member or legal
representative/executor can fill out a form and upload a copy of the death
certificate and, in some cases, other documentation to:
- Close the account– The account will be permanently deleted.
- Obtain data from the account– If your request is granted, you will have to obtain a court order issued in the United States, and this court order must be written using the language that Google will provide.
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Instagram offers two options:
- Remove the account– Only verified immediate family members can request the removal of a deceased person’s account from Instagram.
- Turn the account into a "memorial account"– The request can be submitted by a family member or friend, and requires a death certificate or other proof of death. Memorialized accounts cannot be changed in any way, and do not appear any differently than accounts that have not been memorialized.
LinkedIn
