Facebook plans to use AI to respect dead users

Facebook also announced other tweaks to how dead people are represented on the network.

Memorialised accounts will now have a separate “tributes” tab for people to leave condolences and memories, a move that would leave the deceased’s timeline intact.

Content posted as tributes can be moderated by a person’s “legacy” contacts. These are other Facebook users who they have designated as a trusted person or persons, who can take over in the event of their death.

"Legacy contacts can now moderate the posts shared to the new tributes section by changing tagging settings, removing tags and editing who can post and see posts,” Ms Sandberg explained.

"This helps them manage content that might be hard for friends and family to see if they’re not ready.”

Under-18s cannot nominate a legacy contact, but parents or guardians of children who have died can contact Facebook to request access.

Some of these changes have come in response to abuses of its systems, such as a “prank” in which users would falsely tell Facebook someone had died, locking that user out of their account, and causing friends distress.