What Happens to Someone's Online Presence After They Die
When someone dies, their online presence doesn't disappear. It persists — sometimes for years, sometimes indefinitely — sending birthday reminders, appearing in algorithm-surfaced memories, living on in inboxes and comment sections and old profiles.
Some of this is comforting. Some of it is not. Most of it is unmanaged.
Here's what actually happens to each major type of online account, and what you can do about it.
Social Media Accounts
Facebook — Can be memorialized or deleted. To memorialize: report the death through Facebook's "Special Request for Deceased Person's Account." The profile stays up, can't be logged into, and shows "Remembering" next to the name. To delete: a verified immediate family member can submit a removal request with a death certificate.
You can also designate a "legacy contact" in Settings > Account > Memorialization Settings before death. This person can post to the timeline, respond to friend requests, and update the profile picture.
Instagram — Same parent company. Can be memorialized or deleted upon request. No legacy contact feature.
TikTok — No formal memorialization policy as of 2024. Accounts of deceased users sometimes persist indefinitely.
LinkedIn — Can be reported for removal. No memorialization option.
Twitter/X — Family members can request deactivation with documentation. No memorialization.
Most major email providers have inactive account policies:
Gmail/Google — Deleted after approximately 2 years of inactivity, unless the account holder set up Google's Inactive Account Manager beforehand to designate a recipient.
iCloud/Apple Mail — Apple has a Digital Legacy feature that allows designated contacts to request data access after death.
Outlook/Hotmail — Microsoft will release content to next of kin with documentation.
For all of these: if access to the account itself is needed (for passwords, contacts, important documents), the process typically requires a court order unless the account holder gave login information in advance.
Cloud Storage and Photos
Google Photos, iCloud Photos, Dropbox — these hold things that may be irreplaceable. The same inactive account policies apply. The only reliable approach is: 1. Back up critical photos to a physical drive before access is lost 2. Use Google's Inactive Account Manager or Apple's Digital Legacy to designate someone
Subscriptions and Paid Services
Monthly subscriptions continue charging until cancelled. Streaming services, software, memberships — these require notifying each provider with a death certificate. Many will refund the partial month.
The Permanent Record
Unlike social media (which archives, memorializes, but doesn't truly tell a story), a permanent memorial profile preserves who someone was — not just their accounts.
Eternaflame profiles can be created by family after a death, or by the person themselves while alive. They hold the biography, the relationships, the places, the memories — everything a social media profile doesn't capture. And they're permanent, free, and searchable.
Add someone to the permanent record — free forever.