You can now appoint someone to manage your Facebook profile after you die

When you die, what happens to your social media accounts?

There's now an official answer to that question, at least as far as Facebook goes. Starting today, you can choose a "legacy contact" who will decide what to do with your account after your death. Your legacy contact can post one final Facebook update from your account, and they can respond to friend requests, update your cover and profile photos, and archive the rest of your photos and updates.

Previously, Facebook "memorialized" users' accounts, and they could not be changed after users' deaths. But the company received "hundreds of thousands" of requests to download photos or post funeral information, a Facebook spokesperson told USA Today, so the company decided to update its policy.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

To choose your Facebook legacy contact, select "security" and then "legacy contact" under the Settings menu.