Starting Thursday, people can designate a Legacy Contact to manage their Facebook account after death. It answers the question of “what happens to your Facebook profile when you die?” While some think it does not matter, since the person is dead anyway, in many cases the Facebook profile becomes more valuable to those who are left behind. Family and friends may want to archive photos, or use the account to post funeral details. Some continue to post remembrance messages that are shared among friends of the deceased.

The Legacy Contact is a new feature that lets a user designate someone to manage the account once the user dies, essentially a “social media heir.” This designated person can pin posts to the timeline, respond to friend requests and update the profile and pictures. Since the Legacy Contact manages the account from within their own they will not be able to access messages, or have full, unrestricted access. The Legacy Contact may choose to delete the account, or add a “remembering” mention above the deceased person’s name.

The feature is currently only available in the U.S., although Facebook plans to roll it out in other countries. Previously, accessing a deceased user’s account has been a difficult legal process. Jodi Seth, a Facebook spokesperson, says that with the Legacy Contact the user gives permission in advance to someone they trust that will manage the specific aspects of the account.

The Legacy Contact can be configured in Settings, then Security, and the Legacy Contact. The kind of access for that contact can be customized, and the app will even contact that person to let them know they have been chosen. Users who do not wish to appoint someone to oversee their account after they die may inform Facebook that they would like the account deleted after they are gone.