One of the problems many people have had with Facebook was the lack of a way to pass your accounts on to others. Yes, you could give someone else your password (or leave a list of your passwords for someone to find), but that is difficult to maintain if you like to change your passwords (which you should do on a fairly regular basis!)
Until yesterday, Facebook's only option for your page was to convert it into a memorial page, which basically froze the page, but kept it alive as a way to remember the deceased. Now, any Facebook user in the United States can designate a "legacy contact" who will have permission rights over some parts of your page. (Facebook will also honor statements naming someone as a "digital heir" for online accounts, even if you do not list a legacy contact on your profile.)
The legacy contact will not be able to edit or delete posts you have made, but he or she will have the power to write a memorial message at the top, change the profile picture, and accept friend requests. If you grant permission, the contact will also have the power to download all your posts and photos or to delete your account. If you do not set a legacy contact, Facebook will continue to freeze your account as it did before.
There are a few complications that may need to be adjusted. Currently, Facebook is only allowing for one legacy contact--no backups or splitting the duties--and the legacy contact responsibility cannot be passed on to someone else. This may create a tough situation for couples who travel together frequently: they might want to designate someone else in case of a problem on their travels, but a surviving spouse would then be locked out of the other spouse's page completely. Plus, the legacy contact has no ability to change much of the content of the page. If the person's final post is not something they would want to be remembered by, the legacy contact has no power to change it.
Regardless, this is certainly a step in the right direction. This is a change many have wanted for a long time, and it will definitely be adjusted over time.
To set your legacy contact, go to the "Settings" page and select "Security". The section to control your legacy contact selection is at the bottom.
No comments:
Post a Comment