Facebook introduces a new tributes section

Facebook made updates to memorialised accounts by: adding a new tributes section, providing additional controls to designated legacy contacts, and using improved artificial intelligence (AI) technology to keep the profile of a deceased person from ‘appearing in painful ways’. 

The new tributes section, where friends and family can share posts, creates  a separate tab on memorialised profiles, while preserving the original timeline of the deceased. Legacy contacts are appointed family members or friends who will take care of a deceased person’s Facebook account.Now these contacts are able to moderate content posted on the new tributes section by changing tagging settings, removing tags, and choosing who can post and see posts. 

Minors cannot select legacy contacts, and parents of children under the age of 18 who have passed away can request to become their legacy contacts. For now, Facebook only allows friends and family members to request to have an account memorialised. 

The company stated that it uses AI to keep a deceased user’s profile from appearing in places that may cause distress, such as recommending that person be invited to events, or reminding friend’s about the deceased’s birthday.  AI is in this way especially helping with accounts which have yet to be memorialised, 

Facebook said these changes are the result of feedback they received from people of different religions and cultural backgrounds, as well as experts and academia.