Death and the Internet
While some sites, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), have policies related to death, others remain dormant until if applicable, deleted due to inactivity or transferred to family or friends.
"Virtual funerals" and other forms of previously physical memorabilia are being introduced into the digital world, complete with public details of a person's life and death.
[9] In October 2009, the company introduced "memorial pages" in response to multiple user requests related to the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.
[10][9] After receiving a proof of death via a special form, the profile would be converted into a tribute page with minimal personal details, where friends and family members could share their grief.
[9] In February 2015, Facebook allowed users to appoint a friend or family member as a "legacy contact" with the rights to manage their page after death.
[16] In July 2018, Dubai's DIFC Courts ruling clarified that Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts should be bequeathed in legally binding will.
[17] Social media networks have also been criticized for not responding to relatives' requests to alter information on memorialized accounts.
[20] To request access to the account of a deceased person, heirs are required to send appropriate documents by physical mail.
To deactivate an account Twitter requires an immediate family member to present a copy of their ID and a death certificate of the deceased.
[32] He also criticized the service for the lack of control over hacking of such accounts and disapproved the practice of passing dead people's usernames to new owners after a certain period of inactivity.
[36] Users who have made at least several hundred edits or are otherwise known for substantial contributions to Wikipedia can be noted at a central memorial page.
[37] It is one of the data options that one can select to give access to a trusted contact with Google's Inactive Account Manager.
[39] However, to fully remove an account, the user must be a close or direct family member to the deceased person, and show proof of credibility as well.
In July 2018, the Michigan Court of Appeals found that an Evernote document the decedent had typed into his phone shortly before committing suicide was enforceable as valid will.
