• 21
  • January
    2012

Is there an app for that? The answer to that question appears to be yes.

In our previous post, we discussed the importance of estate planning for young people. Young people may be especially in need of estate planning with respect to the administration of their social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook has instituted a type of memorial for deceased members. This feature allows the deceased member's profile to be accessed by friends and family members in order to share their memories. Private information is removed, but friends and family are able to continue to leave posts.

In addition, a Facebook app also addresses the issue of deceased members by allowing an individual to record a message before the person's death. This must be verified by three Facebook friends or "representatives."

The question of what happens to social media accounts after a person dies was largely unregulated in the past. Until recently, there has been no official legal authority to terminate such accounts. One Senator hopes to enact legislation that will deal with probate issues surrounding a deceased individual's social media accounts. According to the terms of the proposed legislation, a personal representative would have the legal authority to control, continue or terminate a social networking account, blog, email or message service after one's passing.

With specific legislation regarding the authority of a trusted representative over Internet accounts, it will be clear what is appropriate and what is not. Whether this proposed legislation will be enacted into law remains to be seen. In the meantime, proper estate planning for young people or any Florida resident, should take into consideration how social media accounts will be dealt with.

Source: The Lincoln Journal Star, "Senators deal with what happens when Facebook users die," JoAnne Young, Jan. 18, 2012