Facebook Working on Filtering Out Virtual Ghosts

[exfileme]

Facebook is working on a way to determine its deceased users.

Facebook Working on Filtering Out Virtual Ghosts : Read more

 

[thehat2k5]

Is there any reason why they don't just delete inactive accounts after say 6 months? Problem solved.

 

[weirdguy99]

Why don't they just pull the plug on someones account if they're inactive for a period of time and keep settings, information and pictures for a year (or whatever) just in case the user isn't dead.

Not THAT hard..

 

[lukeeu]

Yeah. Figure out an algorithm and 4chan will figure out how to exploit it. Also there is no way they will pay x0000$ a year someone to guess is someone alive or not.

 

[Pyroflea]

Twice a year, have a pop-up asking "Are you still alive?" If this is not answered within X months, they logically must be dead!

 

[wing2010]

Is Facebook going to put up a cemetery right next to FramVille so that people can pay their respects to the dead???

 

[LORD_ORION]

Awesome...I can see app now... it grabs photos of the deceased and puts them into a zombie game. Then it invites the deceased friend's to play.

 

[MrComputerTecho]

@ Lord Orion, Funny. lol. But Seriously Speaking, I DONT THINK Inactivity, should be in for it. Becasue I have Friends Who Log In Every Like 3-4 Months, So Really, If They Got 'Deleted' It Would Be Stupid. Something More Like a Suggestion, Because Of Statuses, Like RIP, Or I Miss You, Or W.e Should have someone Take Action, from Facebook and. investigate .

 

[kingssman]

"ghost in the machine" finally somebody is beginning to recognize the little bits of immortality of our digital legacies left on the internet.

 

[mr_tuel]

I for one have no problem with deceased friends' accounts on social networking sites. I think 6 months is how long the accounts should stay up because people like to leave comments on their page for the first months after their death or grab pictures or whatever. Unfortunately, I have 5 dead friends whose sites are still up, and its nice to be able to grab their pics for memories.

 

[drhenks]

Add a "This person is a zombie" button

 

[Marco925]

How about stop suggesting to get in touch?

 

[dco]

simple. Dont create a facebook page...

 

[clintonedward]

Oh, thinking what happen if my sweeties write on my wall "I miss you" or Facebook bomb "RIP"

 

[cybr]

RIP

 

[Shadow703793]

Facebook has acknowledged the "ghosts in the machine,"

iRobot (movie) any one?

 

[precariousgray]

If someone has not logged in within a period of x days, then they cannot be recommended as a friend. The account doesn't necessarily need to be subject to automatic deletion. Simple enough?

 

[Railgun1369]

[citation][nom]precariousgray[/nom]If someone has not logged in within a period of x days, then they cannot be recommended as a friend. The account doesn't necessarily need to be subject to automatic deletion. Simple enough?[/citation]

Then people will bitch about having their usage tracked knowing when their on and logging and blah blah blah...

Do people throw out all hard copies of pics from deceased friends? Do they never think about them again? No. I too agree in getting rid of the suggestions or reconnect thing. FB is just dehumanizing us anyway so in the end, it won't really matter. We'll just get a funeral invite through the thing and never actually have any face to face contact anymore. Maybe even have a virtual wake through Second Life.

 

[maestintaolius]

[citation][nom]lukeeu[/nom]Yeah. Figure out an algorithm and 4chan will figure out how to exploit it. Also there is no way they will pay x0000$ a year someone to guess is someone alive or not.[/citation]
Ah 4Chan, the boogeyman of the internet. "If you do so-and-so on the internet Little Timmy, the 4Chan is going to come and get you!"

 

[NuclearShadow]

[citation][nom]precariousgray[/nom]If someone has not logged in within a period of x days, then they cannot be recommended as a friend. The account doesn't necessarily need to be subject to automatic deletion. Simple enough?[/citation]

This is certainly a logical way of helping prevent such. Obviously this wouldn't be bulletproof as it could still happen within those X amount of days but it does seem like the best and most rational solution.

My wife not too long ago recently found out about a old friend of hers passing away through facebook. She looked this person up and happened to find a public profile dedicated to her friends memory. While this upset my wife I certainly think she doesn't regret finding out.

So I think the reasonable thing to do what precariousgray suggests. However I would like to add that these people should still be search-able and if facebook learns of their passing should list them as deceased.