What will happen to your social media accounts when you die?

By Sunil Saxena

Have you ever thought of what will happen to your social media accounts once you die? Will they live on after you? What happens if someone shares content with you?  Would you like that? Worse, someone stumbles on your password and starts posting in your name?

Many of us spend hours on our social media accounts posting content, sharing content, and responding to the posts of our friends and loved ones. All these posts are so dear to us.

You also must think of your followers, especially your immediate family. Some of them would like to visit your accounts from time to time and watch your videos or browse your photographs? Social media accounts can be a powerful way to remember you, to relive moments spent with you. There are so many memories attached to them.

Let’s check the policies of social media platforms regarding this.

# What happens to your Facebook account when you die?

Facebook gives you three options. Option I can be exercised only when you are alive. You can visit your Profile Settings and under Memorialisation link enter the name of your friend or relative as the Legacy Contact. Your Legacy Contact, after your death can do the following:

“Write a pinned post for your profile which can be a final message on your behalf or provide information about your memorial service; decide who can see and post tributes or delete tributes; change who can see posts that you’re tagged in; update your profile picture and cover photo; and request the removal of your account.”

Option II provides for Memorialisation of your account. This option can be exercised by any friend or relative if you have not nominated a Legacy Contact. The friend will have to submit your photo, obituary, death certificate, or any other documentation confirming that you are dead.

The Memorialised account then becomes a place for friends and family to share memories. The word Remembering will be published next to your name on their profile, and your friends can share memories on your memorialised timeline. These posts will be visible to the audience it was shared with.

Your Memorialised profile will stop appearing in suggestions for people you may know, ads or birthday reminders and no one will be able to log into your account.

Memorialised profiles that don’t have a Legacy Contact can’t be changed.

Option III can be to get your account deleted. Any of your friends can inform Facebook about your death with relevant documents. Facebook will then remove your account.

# What happens to your Instagram account when you die?

Instagram also gives you the option to get your account memorialised. The social media platform then blocks references to you from appearing on Instagram and takes measures to protect your privacy and secure your account. Instagram also wants proof of death, such as a link to an obituary or news article, to memorialise an account.

Verified immediate family members can also request the removal of your account. All that they need to do is to submit a request for removal with your birth certificate, death certificate or any other relevant document.

# What happens to your LinkedIn account when you die?

LinkedIn also allows you to memorialise your account. The request can be submitted on a form posted by LinkedIn on its website. The request can be posted by the immediate family which can be spouse, parent, sibling, child or extended family which can be grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin. Even the non-family such as friends, co-workers or classmates can file this request by providing a link to an Obituary or relevant news article.

They can also post a request for the closure of your account. In such case, a copy of the death certificate along with some other documents have to be submitted.

# What happens to your X (formerely Twitter) account when you die?

X (formerly Twitter) has posted a form on its website asking the family members or an authorised representative to post a request. A company representative will then take this request forward.

# What happens to your Gooogle accounts when you die?

Google has several popular properties which include Gmail and YouTube. If you had a Gmail, Blogger or a YouTube account then any authorised representative can post a closure request on the Google site. Google has put up a single form for all its properties.

Google too will need some essential documents regarding your death.

What should do you do?

You should authorise a family member or a friend you trust to do the needful once you die.

Read also:

How Digital Life Certificate has made life easy for pensioners
All that you need to know about Senior Citizens Savings Scheme