Facebook tweaks tools for remembering dead friends

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO

Facebook says it will use artificial intelligence to help find profiles of people who have died, so their friends and family members won’t get, for instance, painful reminders about their birthday.

The social network said Tuesday that it is also adding a “tributes” section to accounts that have been memorialized, that is, designated as belonging to someone who has died. Friends and family members will be able to write posts and share photos in this section to remember their loved one.

Facebook also is tightening its rules around who can memorialize an account.

Until now, anyone could do this by sending the company proof that someone had died, such as an obituary. Now, it will have to be a friend or family member.

The company made the changes in response to users’ experiences with seeing their loved ones’ profiles pop up on Facebook after they had died.