Facebook has today introduced a new feature allowing family and friends to manage the accounts of loved ones when they die.
It will allow designated "legacy contacts" to write at least one post on the profile, respond to friend requests and update the profile picture as well as cover photo.
The social network said users may also choose to give the contact permission to download an archive of photos, posts and profile information shared on Facebook, but other settings will remain the same.
Private messages will be inaccessible.
Facebook said profiles would be "memorialised" after they have been notified about the death of a user, who can also opt to have their account permanently deleted.
The feature, which is being introduced in the US first, will see a small visual change made to posthumous profiles, with the word "remembering" added above the names of late users.
The old system, still in place in the UK, simply allowed accounts to be viewable but not managed by a third party.
Facebook said: "By talking to people who have experienced loss, we realized there is more we can do to support those who are grieving and those who want a say in what happens to their account after death.
"Our team at Facebook is grateful and humbled to be working on these improvements.
"We hope this work will help people experience loss with a greater sense of possibility, comfort and support."
