How to Close a Deceased Relative’s Social Media Accounts
After the death of a loved one, there are the expected sober responsibilities of a funeral, obituary and will, but there’s also the matter of the deceased’s “digital estate”: that collection of passwords, social media accounts, photos, digital goods and more. and the zeros that have come to define who we are. Some people specify how they want their digital legacy to be handled, but most people don’t, so the job of managing their online presence after death will likely fall on the shoulders of grieving relatives.
How to ethically handle a deceased person’s social media accounts – should you leave everything as they left it, or is it okay to delete a Twitter account full of embarrassing material? is too complex a subject to go into here, so I’ll focus on the intricacies of accessing these social media accounts rather than the ethical considerations.
Legality of using other people’s accounts on social networks
The easiest way to delete or manage a deceased person’s social media accounts is to go into their phone or computer. But “easy” does not mean “correct” or even legal. Access to an account does not necessarily give you the legal right to use it as you wish, even if their Facebook was left open and there was no password on the phone. This applies even if the account owner has died. This episode of the Petty Crimes podcast explains how you can get in trouble with the law for misusing even a deceased spouse’s social media account.
You (probably) can’t get a deceased loved one’s password
If you are legally authorized to manage someone’s property, but your loved one didn’t leave behind any passwords, you probably won’t be able to access their social media accounts unless emergency circumstances arise. Tech companies generally don’t give out passwords or login information even to deceased members, unless they are forced to do so by a court order. Depending on how the company and the user handle security, this may not even be possible. For example, if there is a passcode on their iPhone, you won’t be able to log in unless you know how to guess; Apple doesn’t even store passwords. To manage a deceased person’s social media accounts, you’ll have to access each online platform separately, and your choice will likely be between deleting the account and “immortalizing” it.
How to delete a dead person’s YouTube account
If you are hoping to delete a deceased loved one’s YouTube account, you can contact YouTube’s parent company, Google, right here and delete their Google account. This will disable all associated accounts, including YouTube, Blogger, Drive, Gmail, Google+ and Google Photos.
Google also gives you the option to query data from someone’s accounts, which presumably includes photos and documents. Whether a deceased person wants another person to have access to their photos highlights how fraught this all is, especially since Google says that “any decision to grant a request about a deceased user will be made only after careful analysis” but does not specify what criteria he will use it to make a decision. So, in a sense, you’re rolling the dice.
In order for Google to consider your request, you’ll need to provide them with a scan of your state-issued ID or driver’s license, a scan of your death certificate, and any other documentation that may be relevant.
How to Delete or Memorialize a Deceased Person’s Facebook Account
Facebook offers three options for loved ones of departed users: stale contacts, memorialization, and account deletion.
If you have a Facebook account, you can designate someone else as a legacy contact. When you die, they can change your profile picture and cover photo, write a pinned post on your feed, and respond to new requests from friends. But that’s all. They cannot continue to post on your behalf or do anything else with the account.
If your relative didn’t think to name you as an old contact, you’re left with either outright deletion or memorialization. For a direct removal, you will need to provide Facebook with a copy of your death certificate, power of attorney, birth certificate (in cases where the deceased is a minor), last will and testament, probate letter, obituary or memorial. map at this link.
Facebook will also immortalize profiles upon request. This will add the word “Remembering” to their profile, remove the profile from “People You May Know”, advertisements or birthday reminders. This also prevents anyone from logging into the account. For more information visit this link.
How to Delete a Deceased Person’s TikTok Account
TikTok doesn’t have a public policy regarding posthumous account deletion, so your only option is to go to TikTok’s general support page , make a request, and cross your fingers.
How to Delete a Deceased Person’s Snapchat Account
Snapchat, like other services, will not allow you to directly access a deceased person’s account, and there does not appear to be a way to delete an account. If you can sign into the account, you can delete it, according to Snapchat’s help section .
How to delete a deceased person’s Pinterest account
Pinterest says it will delete a deceased person’s account, but does not provide details about the required documentation. According to its help page, Pinterest “may delete a deceased family member’s account if you contact [them].” Once [they] delete the account, it will no longer be accessible.”
How to Delete or Memorialize a Deceased Person’s LinkedIn Account
Like Facebook, LinkedIn can either immortalize an account or delete it. To memorialize, you don’t have to have any special meaning to the deceased: colleagues and casual acquaintances alike can visit a LinkedIn page , send a link to an obituary, news article, or any other proof of death. If it passes LinkedIn’s verification, the profile will be marked as “Perpetuated” and blocked.
To request that your LinkedIn account be closed, you must provide LinkedIn with a death certificate and proof that you have authority to act on behalf of the dependent. This means letters of administration, testamentary letters, letters of representation, or other court orders indicating that you are the authorized representative of the deceased member’s estate.
How to Delete a Dead Person’s Twitter/X Account
X (formerly known as Twitter) does not allow memorialization. However, you can request account deletion. Here is the link . X promises that he will work with “a person authorized to act on behalf of the estate or a verified immediate family member of the deceased” to deactivate the account.
How to delete or memorialize a deceased person’s Instagram account
Instagram offers both account deletion and memorialization. Immortalized accounts cannot be accessed, the word “Remembering” will appear on them, and the account will not appear in Insta’s Explore section. To memorialize an account , you must provide proof of death, such as a link to an obituary or news article.
According to the company, the only people eligible to delete an Instagram account are “verified immediate family members.” You will need to provide the deceased person’s birth certificate, the deceased person’s death certificate, and “proof of authority under local law that you are the legal representative of the deceased person or his/her estate.” Here is the link to the Instagram form .
How to delete a deceased person’s WhatsApp account
WhatsApp does not have a published policy for deleting a deceased relative’s account. So your only real option is to delete the account from the app on the deceased phone, but again make sure it’s legal. Here’s how to delete a WhatsApp account. You can also try sending a request to WhatsApp support and explain the situation.
How to Delete a Dead Person’s Reddit Account
Reddit doesn’t seem to have posted any official policy regarding deleting user accounts, but you can create your own Reddit account and then write to the site administrators and ask for help.