Facebook recently has decided that a Facebook user can designate a “legacy contact” to handle his or her online presence on Facebook after that person’s death. A legacy contact will be able to gain access to the person’s page but messages may be deleted. Thus, a legacy contact would be able to add posts, change a profile photo, or possibly even add new friends.
Why would you want your Facebook page still active after death? Facebook is adding this feature in response to the many people who were unhappy when Facebook automatically froze accounts for those Facebook discovered were deceased.
If you are interested in choosing a legacy contact, go to Settings, then to Security, and at the bottom will be a link for “Legacy Contact.” You can change your legacy contact at any time prior to your death, but your legacy contact will be unable to relinquish the duty after you die. You can also choose to permanently delete your account upon your death.
If you think this is a joke post, it is not. What do with “digital assets” is becoming a more important issue in estate planning. Just remember to choose your legacy contact wisely, otherwise those photos from your last Vegas weekend could be leaked.
Here is the information from Facebook, “What is a Legacy Contact?” As a reminder, this information is in addition to having a will and a revocable living trust (although your will can name someone to handle your digital assets, but more on that later). Think of it as a “will” just for your Facebook account.
