Facebook has unveiled a ‘Legacy Manager’ setting so someone can manage your account after you kick the bucket.
If you’ve ever wondered “What happens to my digital presence when I die?” Facebook is giving you at least part of the answer. You will soon be able to nominate someone to manage your profile after you’ve slipped off this mortal coil.
Your Legacy Contact will be able to:
- Add a pinned post with a final message or notification about a memorial service
- Update your profile picture
- Download your shared posts.
To set up a Legacy Contact look under Security in the Settings menu (not yet available in the UK as I write).
If you don’t set up a Legacy Contact, Facebook says that your ‘verified family members’ can request that Facebook ‘memorialises’ your account. This adds the word ‘remembering’ next to your name. I haven’t yet understood how to verify family connections and, judging by previous attempts to contact Facebook ‘support staff’, suspect this option may be fraught with difficulty.