In a previous post, I outlined the best practice of planning for the disposition of social media accounts before death. Unfortunately, my experience is that most people are not that prepared. In that case, you may find it necessary to manage the social media accounts for a loved one or client after they pass away.
There are a few documents that will be necessary across many of the platforms. It will be helpful to gather them at the start.
A digital version of the deceased person’s death certificate. This can be either a scanned PDF or a simple picture (.JPG or other).
If you don’t have a copy of the death certificate, some sites will accept a link to an obituary or a memorial card
Proof that you have authority to alter the accounts (one of the following):
Power of Attorney
Last Will and Testament naming you as executor
Your birth certificate naming you as the child of the deceased
A digital version of your identification
Drivers license
State identity card
Passport
Once you have your set of documents, here are the specific steps for some of the more popular social media platforms.
Facebook
As mentioned in the earlier post, there are two options for a deceased person’s Facebook account.
The first option is simply to delete the deceased’s account. To remove your loved one’s account, you’ll need to provide documentation proving you’re an immediate family member or executor of the account holder. According to Facebook, the fastest way to do this is to provide a scan or photo of your loved one’s death certificate.
If you don’t have a death certificate, you’ll need to provide one of the proofs of authority listed above AND proof that your loved one or client has passed away.
Facebook recommends that when providing documentation, please remove any personal information they don’t need to fulfill your request, such as a Social Security number. Learn more about removing a deceased family member’s Facebook account here.
The second option is to memorialize the account. When an account is memorialized, the word “Remembering” will be shown next to the person’s name on their profile. Depending on privacy settings, friends and family can use the page to gather and share memories about the deceased. No one can log in to a memorialized account, which means it’s secure. Learn more about memorialized accounts here.
Instagram is owned by Facebook and has essentially the same process for either removing or memorializing a deceased person’s account.
To remove a deceased’s Instagram account, you’ll need to prove that you’re an immediate family member of the deceased by providing the deceased person’s birth certificate, the deceased person’s death certificate, or proof of authority under local law that you’re the lawful representative of the deceased person, or his/her estate. Learn more about removing a deceased person’s Instagram account here.
When an Instagram account is memorialized, no one can log in to it. The account will appear the same as it did before it was memorialized, and no one will be able to make changes to any of the account’s existing posts or information. To memorialize an account, you’ll need to provide proof of death, such as a URL to an obituary or an uploaded photo of a newspaper obituary. Learn more about memorializing an account on Instagram here.
Twitter allows immediate family members, or authorized persons, to deactivate and remove a deceased’s account.
In order to remove a deceased user’s account, you must first submit a request. Twitter will then email you with instructions. You’ll need to provide information about the deceased, a copy of your ID, and a copy of your loved one’s death certificate. Learn more about deactivating a loved one’s Twitter account here.
LinkedIn will help you remove a deceased member’s profile when you submit this form. You’ll need to provide information about your loved one, the URL to their profile, your relationship to them, your loved one’s email address, the date they passed away, a link to their obituary, and the company they most recently worked at. Learn more about removing a loved one’s LinkedIn account here.
Snapchat
Snapchat will delete the account of a deceased loved one for you if you submit this form and provide a copy of the death certificate.
The best way to remove your deceased loved one’s Pinterest account is to email care@pinterest.com. You’ll need to provide your information, as well as the name, email address, and username of the deceased. You’ll also need to send Pinterest proof of death, such as a death certificate, obituary URL, or newspaper obituary scan, as well as proof of relationship, such as marriage certificate or proof that you’re named on the obituary.
