Facebook Tells Users They're Dead Due to Reported Bug

Facebook users logging on to the site Friday might have noticed that the social media network has declared them deceased.

Multiple people posted screenshots of their profiles with a message memorializing them, something that is reserved for the profiles of users who have passed away.

“For a brief period today, a message meant for memorialized pages was mistakenly posted to other accounts. This was a terrible error that we have now fixed. We are very sorry that this happened and we worked as quickly as possible to fix it,” a Facebook spokeswoman said in an emailed statement to Patch.

Politico reporter Hadas Gold reported that accounts had not been compromised.

Facebook later apologized to users for the incorrect labeling.

Facebook accounts can be memorialized once a user passes away. Users can inform Facebook in advance that they want their accounts memorialized or permanently deleted once they pass away. If Facebook is made aware that a person has passed away it is their policy to memorialize the account. Verified immediate family members may also request the removal of the account.

Once an account has been memorialized, no one can log into it.

Image Screenshot via Facebook