Facebook Inc (FB) Enables Legacy Contact Management For Memorialized Accounts

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is letting people chosen by those who have passed to manage the accounts of their loved ones.

Called Legacy Contact, the feature enables any Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) account holder to choose a person they will hand some control over their personal accounts to in case of their death.

“Today we’re introducing a new feature that lets people choose a legacy contact—a family member or friend who can manage their account when they pass away. Once someone lets us know that a person has passed away, we will memorialize the account,” Facebook writes in its announcement.

A memorialized account will be distinguished from normal profiles by the word “Remembering” which will appear on top of a person’s name. For example, if a certain John Smith dies, his profile will display as “Remembering John Smith” when it is memorialized.

A legacy contact will be able to write a post that displays at the top of a memorialized account’s Timeline. The social network sees this feature as useful for people close to the deceased person to make announcements regarding memorial services or post special messages to family, friends and loved ones.

Another action that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has enabled for legacy contacts is accepting friend requests. Furthermore, legacy contacts can also update the profile picture and cover photo of the account they are managing.

Legacy contacts will also be able to download an archive of photos, posts and profile information if the former account holder gives his or her consent before their passing.

Nonetheless, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) says that legacy contacts will not be able to do certain things with the accounts they are managing. One of these is to change other settings. They also won’t be able to see the private messages.

For now, the feature is only launching in the U.S. but the social network says it is looking forward to expanding to more countries.

If a person wants, they can choose note to elect a legacy contact and have their Facebook account permanently deleted after their death. The legacy contact feature is also non-obligatory.

Choosing a Legacy Contact can be done by going to the Security tab on the social network’s Settings for each account.

Karthik Sarma’s SRS Investment Management owned 5 million Facebook shares by the end of the September quarter last year. Worth then at about $395.2 million, the stake made up 15.8% of the institutional investor’s whole portfolio. There was no change in the stake quarter over quarter.

Source: Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) Legacy Contact