After a loved one passes there are many practical, legal and financial issues to be addressed. One that often gets overlooked during the initial flurry of activity is what to do with the deceased’s social media accounts.
If you have your loved one’s user name and password you can simply log in to the account, download anything that you want to save and then deactivate or delete the account. If you plan to delete the account, you might want to wait a few months as you may change your mind, or other family members may wish to access your loved one’s posts.
If you do not have your loved one’s user name and password, none of the major social media sites will give it to you. Deactivating these accounts involves filling out forms, proving the death actually occurred and proving you have the right to make these decisions. Here’s what you need to know:
Once a Facebook user has passed, Facebook provides two options regarding what to do with the account. Both options require an immediate family member or the Executor of the estate to fill out a “Special Request for Deceased Person’s Account” form:
- Close the account– Facebook will permanently delete the account.
- Turn the account into a "memorial page"– A memorialized account creates a space where friends and family can share photos, stories and memories. Facebook will leave the user profile as is, add a “Remembering” label beside the user’s name, and prevent the profile from showing up as an active account, such as in the “People You May Know” section.Note: While a Facebook user is alive they can appoint a "legacy contact" to manage this memorial page after they pass. In this case the legacy contact will be able to update the profile photo and respond to friend requests. They will not be able to read your messages or change things that you shared in the past.
Google provides three options for what to do with a deceased person’s Google account, all of which require an immediate family member or legal representative/executor to fill out a form and upload a copy of the death certificate and, in some cases, other documentation:
- Close the account– Note that after a Gmail account has been closed, you will be unable to reuse that Gmail user name.
- Submit a request for funds from the account– If the person was running ads on Google, or using Google Wallet, there may be funds in the account.
- Obtain data from the account– If your request is granted, you will have to obtain a court order issued in the United States, and this court order must be written using the language that Google will provide. You can request access to data held in the following: Blogger, Drive, Gmail, Google Photos, YouTube or Other.
YouTube
Because YouTube is owned by Google, YouTube requests use the same forms as Google requests. An immediate family member or legal representative/executor can fill out a form and upload a copy of the death certificate and, in some cases, other documentation to:
- Close the account– The account will be permanently deleted.
- Obtain data from the account– If your request is granted, you will have to obtain a court order issued in the United States, and this court order must be written using the language that Google will provide.
- Deactivate the account– The only option that Twitter provides is to deactivate the deceased user’s account. After you fill out the form they’ll send a confirmation email with further instructions regarding providing a copy of the death certificate and other data.
- Deactivate the account– The only option that Pinterest provides is to deactivate the deceased user’s account. Family members must use Pinterest’s online contact system to get the process started.
Instagram offers two options:
- Remove the account– Only verified immediate family members can request the removal of a deceased person’s account from Instagram.
- Turn the account into a "memorial account"– The request can be submitted by a family member or friend, and requires a death certificate or other proof of death. Memorialized accounts cannot be changed in any way, and do not appear any differently than accounts that have not been memorialized.
- Remove the account– The only option that LinkedIn provides is to remove the account. The request can be made by a family member, friend, co-worker or classmate.