It is said that once you post something on the internet, it stays there even many years later. Because today even if you delete it, chances are someone could have taken a screenshot or saved it. But have you often wondered what happens to a deceased user's account? Most people have accounts on multiple social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter among many others. And each of these sites has certain policies regarding the death of an account holder. In this article, we tell you what happens to a dead person's social media accounts. Facebook to Become World’s Biggest 'Virtual Graveyard', Nearly 8,000 Users Die Daily, Is Your Digital Will Ready?

What Happens to Facebook Account of Deceased User?

There are two options on Facebook after an account user's death, it could either be turned into a memorial account or closed forever.  The account that is memorialized has a "remembering" badge on the profile. The previous posts from the account remain visible but it won't appear in any public places, groups or in the "person you may know" section.

In 2015, Facebook introduced a "Legacy Contact" policy. In this, an account contact can login from the deceased user's account and change the profile picture and pin a tribute post. The options are available in the settings section in the Memorialization Settings. You can choose a friend as your legacy contact.

The other option is the user can themselves request their account to be deleted upon their death, instead of being memorialized. So someone from your Facebook account has to inform them about your death.

What Happens to Instagram Account of Deceased User?

Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, the features are similar to the parent company. Your family can request the deletion of your account or have it memorialized. But unlike Facebook, Instagram does not give legacy contact. Instagram asks for proof of death of a person, certified evidence of passing away. The person has to be a lawful representative of you or your estate. Only after a valid proof, the account can be fully deleted.

What Happens to Twitter Account of Deceased User?

For Twitter, an immediate family member or someone who is authorized to act on the deceased person's behalf has to request for deactivation. The person should provide a copy of their ID and a death certificate of the deceased. There is no option of legacy accounts on the microblogging platform. Only a "person authorized to act on behalf of the estate, or with a verified immediate family member of the deceased" can make the request in order to prevent false reports and misuse.

So each social media site has it's in their design and account policies about what happens after a person's death. It depends on the wishes of the immediate family members. A social media account of a deceased person can either serve as a memory for the user's contacts or it can be deleted for good. While Facebook and Instagram offer to memorialize, Twitter gives an option of deleting the account.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 30, 2020 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).