The social media accounts of the dead
IRELAND – A guide to how different social media platforms treat the accounts of deceased users.
When you lose someone close, it can be very difficult dealing with the complex aftermath of a death. However more and more, families also have to deal with the deceased’s online legacy. Here is an overview of what to expect when dealing with the largest social media providers.
In order to close an account due to death, Twitter require a designated person appointed to act on behalf of the estate or someone who is a verified family member. You will then need to access Twitter’s ‘Help Center’ where you can then request for the account to be deactivated.
Twitter will then email the contact person with instructions and a request for identification and also a copy of the death certificate in order to proceed with the account closure.
To delete the page of a deceased Facebook user, the company require you to fill in an online form and also ask for either a copy of the death certificate or an obituary.
Alternatively, if you would like to memorialize the Facebook page, the company ask for the name of the deceased, their date of death and a link to the obituary or the death notification.
However, there is also the option for to choose what will happen to the account before death. In Facebook’s ‘Help Center’, select ‘Manage my account’ and then select ‘Memorialized accounts’. You can delete the account upon death or choose to memorialize it.
Facebook also allows you to choose someone in advance to manage your account following your death.
Like other social media sites, you’ll need to start the process in Instagram’s ‘Help Center’. You’ll need to prove (under local law) that you are lawfully acting on behalf of the deceased, supply a copy of their death certificate or their birth certificate. Instagram use an online form for you to upload the certificates.
Immediate family members can choose to have the account memorialized or removed. Instagram can control who sees memorialized accounts and provide levels of privacy for the family.
However, Instagram also allow non-family members to report an account user’s death and ask for the account to be memorialized by sending Instagram a link to an obituary or even a news article about the death.
To deactivate a Pinterest account, you will need to email them. The address is care@pinterest.com.
Pinterest require your full name, the full name and email for the deceased person, a link to the deceased’s account, proof of death (either a death certificate, obituary or article). In addition, Pinterest require proof of your relationship with deceased such as birth or marriage certificates, notarized proof of relation or if your name is included in obituary that is also sufficient.
To close the account of a deceased loved one on LinkedIn you’ll need to fill in their online form.
They require you to provide the member’s name, a link to their profile, your relationship to them, the deceased’s email address, the date they died, a link to an obituary and the name of the company where they most recently worked.
Snapchat
Snapchat only requires that you login, go to the company’s account deletion page and click delete.
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