Digital inheritance: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 09:35, 8 August 2023

Revision as of 09:36, 8 August 2023

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[[Twitter]] does not allow access to deceased user profiles. They will, however, deactivate an account for someone who is "authorized to act on the behalf of the estate, or with a verified immediate family member of the deceased" provides the user's death certificate and their own [[Identity document|government-issued ID]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Contacting Twitter about a deceased family member's account |url=https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/contact-twitter-about-a-deceased-family-members-account |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=help.twitter.com |language=en}}</ref>

It is [[Facebook]]'s policy to automatically memorialize a profile if they are made a aware of a user's death. Only verified immediate family members of the deceased may request that the account be fully deleted.<ref name=":3">Facebook.{{Cite (n.d.).web ''How do I report|title=Reporting a deceased person or an account ona Facebook account that needs to be memorialized?''. Retrieved{{!}} DecemberFacebook 17,Help 2021, fromCenter |url=https://www.facebook.com/help/150486848354038/?helpref=related |access-date=2023-08-08 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref> If a user would like to decide what happens to their account upon their death, they have two options. In account settings, they can choose to have their account automatically deleted after death, or set up a legacy contact who will have the ability to manage their memorialized page.<ref>Facebook. (n.d.). ''What will happen to my Facebook account if I pass away?'' Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/help/103897939701143/?helpref=related</ref> Facebook will not provide an account's login information to either a legacy contact or a family member.<ref name=":3">Facebook. (n.d.). ''How do I report a deceased person or an account on Facebook that needs to be memorialized?'' Retrieved December 17, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/help/150486848354038/?helpref=related</ref>

Both Facebook and Twitter have been prey to hoax celebrity death announcements and memorial pages, as well as being entangled in legal battles for the rights to access a departed loved one's social profiles,<ref>Cha, A. E. (2005, February 3). After death, a struggle for their digital memories. ''Washington Post''. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58836-2005Feb2.html</ref> leading to the need for official action and processes.