CNET reports that Facebook is attempting to address a sensitive subject by "memorializing" the profile of a person who has died. After a family member or close friend confirms their relationship to the person and that the person is deceased, Facebook will remove what it deems to be "sensitive" information from the profile – including contact information and status updates (making sure that Facebook members don't receive a birthday announcement for a dead friend or relative). The profile is also locked from public search, meaning that only Facebook users who were "friends" of the person before they died can access the account.
On the company blog, Facebook head of security Max Kelly said that deciding how the deal with the profiles of deceased members was a difficult task.
"Obviously, we wanted to be able to model people's relationships on Facebook, but how do you deal with an interaction with someone who is no longer able to log on?" he said. "When someone leaves us, they don't leave our memories or our social network. To reflect that reality, we created the idea of 'memorialized' profiles as a place where people can save and share their memories of those who've passed."
- Richard Manfredi
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