Watch CBS News

What Happens To Your Social Media Account After You Die? Facebook Rolls Out 'Legacy Contact' Feature

By Melony Roy

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- Facebook has rolled out a new feature that allows users to designate a specific friend who will be able to access their account after they die.

The feature is called "legacy contact" and appears in Facebook's security settings menu.

Users can select a specific Facebook friend who will be able to control certain aspects of your page. Alternatively, users can also opt to have their account deleted after they pass away.

The legacy contact will be able to pin posts to the top of a page, respond to incoming friend requests and control the profile and header image on an account.

Facebook is also making changes to the appearance of these memorialized accounts, which will now have a "remembering" label before the name to let others know it's an account of someone who has passed away.

The legacy contact setting is available now to Facebook users in the U.S.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.