PassMyBits

Social media and digital legacy

What happens to Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn after death?

Almost everyone has a few social media accounts. Hardly anyone has written down what should happen to them after they die. Each platform has its own rules, and they rarely give loved ones as much access as they expect.

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Platforms rarely grant full access

On some platforms a profile can be turned into a memorial profile. It stays visible, marked to show the person has died. Other platforms will only delete the account, once you have sent in a death certificate. Neither route gives you access to private messages, backups or linked services by default.

A request like that can take weeks or even months. There are forms and checks, and sometimes a lawyer. All that time the account stays online, visible to everyone and easy to misuse.

The real problem: nobody knows which accounts exist

Besides Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, most people have accounts their family knows nothing about. Without an overview, and without passwords or recovery details, loved ones do not even know which platforms to contact.

What you can write down now

Make a list of your accounts and note what you want for each one: a memorial profile, deletion, or leaving it as it is. Also note which accounts depend on each other, for example because you log in everywhere with Facebook or Google.

Keep that list encrypted and link a trusted person to it. A loose file or note gets lost or ends up in the wrong hands. Until it is needed, only you can open it. And after that, nobody has to guess.

Things you can do today

  • Write down all your social media and messaging accounts.
  • Decide for each account: memorial profile, delete, or leave it.
  • Note which services are linked, such as logging in with Facebook or Google.
  • Share this only with someone you trust, and not through a loose file or a text message.

Our page on social media and digital legacy explains how to handle this platform by platform:

Digital legacy for social media

Don't leave your loved ones guessing about your accounts

Write down what should happen on each platform. Your trusted person only gets access when it is really needed.