It really is a growing problem for companies like facebook. We've estimated that over 285k US facebook users will pass away this year and closer to 1.25m worldw

It really is a growing problem for companies like facebook. We've estimated that over 285k US facebook users will pass away this year and closer to 1.25m worldwide. Here's another good link about how to delete and memorialize facebook accounts: http://blog.entrustet.com/2010/03/29/how-to-permanently-dele.. http://blog.entrustet.com/2010/03/29/how-to-permanently-dele.... I don't think its something that Facebook can fix with code. The social security administration has a good database of US deaths, but they only update the feed 4x per year and Facebook would have to correlate it using info they currently don't ask for. A few companies are developing good death data, but I think it's really far off. Other countries like Sweden have national registries that update daily, so Facebook could try to implement a code based solution, but I don't think it's likely to happen. In reality, a survivor needs to notify facebook. You currently can, but you can only memorialize your account, not delete it. To do that, you'd need to give someone access to your account. I'm the cofounder of Entrustet, one of the companies that helps people store their last wishes for all of their online accounts. It's important to make your wishes known so that your survivors know what to do. Facebook is really the tip of the iceberg. Think about your blog, servers, family pictures and all of your other valuable digital assets. If you'd like more info, check us out. Nathan Lustig cofounder, http://www.Entrustet.com http://www.Entrustet.com