Facebook adds new tools to help users memorialize loved ones

Facebook has launched several new tools that make it easier for users to memorialize loved ones who have died.

To start, Facebook has added a new tributes section in memorialized profiles to offer a dedicated place for friends and family to share posts about someone who has passed away. Facebook says this preserves the user’s original timeline while also letting people “see the types of posts that are most helpful to them as they grieve and remember their loved ones.”

Additionally, Facebook has rolled out new controls for legacy contacts — family members or friends who have been entrusted to manage a user’s Facebook account after they die.

Now, legacy contacts can moderate the tributes section by controlling who can see and interact with the memorialized person’s account. Facebook says this will let legacy contacts hide a memorialized account from a loved one who might not be ready to see it, such as a younger sibling.

While Facebook doesn’t allow those under 18 to appoint legacy contacts, Facebook also recently changed its policies to allow friends or family to request becoming a legacy contact.

Finally, Facebook says it will now only memorialize an account at the request of friends or family, noting that it’s important to let loved ones choose when to take that step. For further sensitivity, Facebook says it will continue to improve its artificial intelligence to keep a memorialized profile from appearing in places that may cause distress.

For example, the company says its AI will work to prevent Facebook from recommending memorialized people for events or reminding other people of a memorialized person’s birthday.

Source: Facebook