For the first time since its establishment, Instagram is launching in Israel the option to appoint a memorial contact — a person who will manage part of the account after the user’s death. The update comes about a decade after this feature was introduced on the Facebook platform, and aims to allow coping with death in the digital realm as well.
According to the company’s announcement, the new tool will enable Instagram users to choose a contact who can handle the account after their passing. This contact will not be able to post on behalf of the deceased, access private messages, or operate the account, but will be able to update the profile picture and download copies of public content, according to the account’s privacy settings.
At the same time, the account of a deceased person can become a memorial account: An account that cannot be logged into, where the caption "Remembering" appears next to the user’s name. Memorial profiles will serve as a kind of remembrance site where friends and family can share memories, messages, and photos. The company noted that account holders can choose in advance whether they want their account to be completely deleted after their death.
This move follows a legislative initiative led by Knesset member Erez Malul (Shas), who worked to increase public awareness of users’ rights after death and the option to memorialize them on social media. According to Meta, the update reflects its commitment to providing sensitive tools for coping with death, but no data was given on the number of accounts already memorialized or on requests submitted for this purpose.
The announcement also noted that in addition to Instagram, similar improvements are being made on Facebook, which has allowed the appointment of memorial contacts since 2015. The company emphasized that the memorial contact can be updated at any time, according to the user’s wishes.