With over 2.9 billion monthly active users, Facebook has become an integral part of many people’s lives. It’s a place to connect with friends and family, share life updates, and memorialize loved ones who have passed away. However, deciding what to do with a deceased person’s Facebook account can be a complicated matter. Here are some common questions people have about managing Facebook after someone dies, along with some guidance on what to consider.
Should you delete the Facebook account of someone who has died?
There is no single right answer to this question – it’s a personal decision that depends on your relationship to the deceased, their privacy wishes, and what feels right for you and other loved ones. Here are some factors to consider:
- Memorialization – One option is to memorialize the account so it becomes a place for friends and family to gather and share memories. The profile remains but no one can log into it.
- Deletion – Permanently deleting the account wipes all personal information and removes access for anyone. Some prefer this for privacy reasons.
- Legacy Contact – If designated by the user, a legacy contact can manage the memorialized account, pin posts, and respond to new friend requests.
- Sentimental value – Do you find comfort in still being connected on Facebook? Or does it feel too painful?
- Their wishes – Did they ever express preferences about handling social media accounts after death?
- Timing – Consider waiting a period of time before making a permanent decision about deletion if emotions are raw.
There’s no right or wrong – do what feels appropriate given the person’s preferences and your own needs.
How do you memorialize or delete a Facebook account?
Here are the steps to memorialize or permanently delete a Facebook account:
| Memorialize | Delete Permanently |
|---|---|
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In both cases, the specialized form can be found in Facebook’s Help Center. Take your time making the decision, it cannot be reversed once memorialized or deleted.
Can you reactivate a memorialized Facebook account?
No, once an account has been memorialized on Facebook there is no way to reactivate it. The memorialization process permanently freezes the account as-is. No one can log into it again or reverse the memorialization. Some key things memorialization does:
- The word “Remembering” is shown next to the name
- The profile can only be viewed by confirmed friends
- No one can log into the account again
- Profile and timeline remain unchanged
- Friends can still post and share memories on the timeline
Memorializing an account on Facebook aims to create a space to honor someone’s memory while protecting their privacy. If you change your mind later and want to access the account again, unfortunately that is not possible after memorialization. The only option is to permanently delete the memorialized account if you prefer it not remain online at all.
What happens when you permanently delete a Facebook account?
Here’s an overview of what happens when a Facebook account is permanently deleted:
- All account information is erased – this includes photos, posts, videos, comments, likes, and personal info
- The account profile vanishes and the username becomes available to be claimed
- No friends or family will be able to search for or view any aspect of the account
- Facebook removes data from backups and logs within 90 days
- Facebook cannot recover any data or reinstate the account after deletion
- Some info may remain in Facebook Messenger if others have conversational history
Essentially, permanent account deletion wipes the presence of that person from Facebook. It’s as if they never had an account. All former friends, photos, posts, and personal details are erased from the platform. However, messages may persist in other users’ inboxes. And content shared directly with others would remain with them.
Can you download data from a memorialized Facebook account?
No, memorialized Facebook accounts have all account data and download access disabled and removed. Only confirmed friends can view the limited profile. The legacy contact designated for a memorialized account is given some abilities such as pinning posts, responding to new requests, and updating the profile image and cover photo.
But Facebook does not grant download access to anyone of the memorialized account’s data. The information remains online in a read-only state that friends can view and interact with. But the data cannot be extracted or exported once memorialized. For this reason, some recommend authorized people download any data wanted for memorializing purposes before submitting the memorialization request.
Why Facebook disables data downloads for memorialized accounts
Facebook disables the ability to download data from memorialized accounts for a few key reasons:
- Protects privacy of the deceased by limiting data exposure
- Prevents misuse of the inactive account’s data
- Maintains an “online shrine” without fully opening access
- Reduces company risk of mishandling personal data
The memorialized account acts as a limited read-only archive viewable for confirmed friends. But Facebook blocks broader data access to balance preservation with privacy for the deceased.
Can someone hack into a memorialized Facebook account?
It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for someone to hack into a memorialized Facebook account. Here’s why the accounts have strong protections against hacking or unauthorized access:
- No password or login access – the account is frozen
- Two-factor authentication gets removed
- Legacy contacts have minimal access that’s profile-based
- No API access or ability to extract data
- Account is separated from Facebook’s active infrastructure
When an account gets memorialized, Facebook essentially moves it to a separate partition within their systems that has no connectivity to regular functioning accounts. There is no way to log in or authenticate as the deceased person. And personal data can’t be extracted. Facebook’s security teams would immediately detect any suspicious access attempts and block them.
For these reasons, there are very robust technical barriers preventing anyone from hacking memorialized accounts. The only information at risk would be what’s visually available in the limited profile viewable by confirmed friends.
Can you do anything with a deceased person’s Facebook Messenger?
For Facebook Messenger associated with a deceased person’s account, options are limited once the account is memorialized or deleted:
- You cannot log into Messenger or access the account’s inbox/chats
- If memorialized, the account remains visible to confirmed friends
- Any messages received will not be seen by the memorialized account
- Friends can still message the profile but no responses will be sent
- If deleted, the account vanishes entirely along with messages
For Messenger, the main impact is any incoming or outgoing messages can no longer be sent or received once the connected Facebook account is memorialized or deleted. However, conversations may persist in the message history of friends who chatted with the deceased person if they have not cleared chat history.
Is it illegal to access someone’s Facebook after they die?
In most cases it is not illegal for a spouse, family member, or executor to access a deceased person’s Facebook account. However, it could become illegal access in certain situations:
- Hacking into an account without permission
- Using credentials of the deceased without authorization
- Accessing accounts of minors without parental consent
- Downloading data from the account for unauthorized use
If someone gains unauthorized access to an account by using the password of the deceased, or extracts data without permission, that could cross into illegal access. Otherwise, in general a spouse or immediate family member accessing the account after a death is not illegal – as long as it’s for purposes like memorializing, closing the account, or wrapping up final affairs.
Steps to legally access a deceased person’s account:
- Obtain their consent and credentials while alive
- Request access as an authorized agent or executor
- Have the account memorialized with you as the legacy contact
- Request temporary password reset citation from Facebook
- Use legal process if needed to gain court order for access
As long as proper procedures are followed, in most cases accessing an account after death for legitimate purposes is not illegal. Handling the account should align with the deceased user’s preferences and the family’s wishes.
Does Facebook notify contacts when you memorialize or delete an account?
Yes, when a Facebook account is memorialized or permanently deleted, Facebook does send notifications about the changes to the account owner’s network of friends and followers. Here is an overview of the notifications:
| Memorialization | Deletion |
|---|---|
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The reason for notifying the network is to transparently inform people connected to the deceased user. Friends may wonder why they can no longer find or interact with the profile. The notifications help explain the memorialization or deletion and reduce confusion.
What does each notification say?
The exact wording can vary, but in general:
- Memorialization notice informs the account was memorialized
- Deletion notice states the account was permanently removed
- Both provide date of memorialization/deletion
- Notes it was done by request of verified immediate family
The notifications aim to be transparent about changes while being sensitive to privacy and emotional considerations.
Can you rejoin Facebook with the same name after deleting an account?
No, once a Facebook account is permanently deleted there is no way to recreate one with the exact same username in the future. When an account is deleted these key things happen:
- The unique username becomes available to be claimed by anyone
- All account content and data is erased from Facebook servers
- The profile vanishes and cannot be reactivated even by Facebook
- Making a new account requires selecting a different username
So if you later decide you want to open a new Facebook account after deleting a previous one, you will have to choose a different username. You cannot register an account with the same name as the deleted one. This prevents possible confusion or impersonation issues if the same name was recycled in the future.
Is it better to delete or memorialize a Facebook account after death?
There are good reasons for both deleting and memorializing an account after someone dies:
| Reasons to memorialize | Reasons to delete |
|---|---|
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There are valid arguments on both sides. Key factors to consider are the wishes of the deceased, feelings of close family and friends, and whether the account brings comfort or pain. Seek input from loved ones, and take time making a thoughtful decision.
In summary:
- Memorializing preserves the account as a limited profile
- Deleting erases the account and all personal data
- Neither decision can be reversed once made
- Do what seems most appropriate for the individual situation
Conclusion
Deciding what to do with a deceased person’s Facebook account can be difficult and emotional. Consider memorializing to maintain a respectful online space for friends to connect. Or delete to prioritize privacy. There is no universally right choice – let the individual circumstances and wishes of family guide you. Take time to think it through and get input from others close to the deceased. Whatever you decide – memorialized, deleted, or even kept open for a time – balance honoring their life with protecting their legacy.