THE CANADIAN PRESS

Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

Speak Up

TORONTO - A spokeswoman for Canada's privacy commissioner says Facebook is expected to announce a new policy on how it handles profiles of deceased users in the next week.

Enlarge Photo

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Alik Keplicz

A woman checks a Facebook page on Oct. 15, 2009. A spokeswoman for Canada's privacy commissioner says Facebook is expected to announce a new policy on how it handles profiles of deceased users in the next week..

In recent days, the social networking site has been reminding members about a service that "memorializes" profiles of deceased users at the request of friends and family members.

But Facebook has yet to adopt privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart's recommendation for more disclosure about what happens to users' personal information after they die.

The recommendation was included in an August report on Facebook's privacy policies.

Commissioner spokeswoman Anne-Marie Hayden says Facebook was expected to post a new privacy policy within 10 weeks, which would mean it's due sometime in the next seven days.

A memorialized profile changes privacy settings so no further status updates can be made, contact information is hidden, and only confirmed friends can access the profile.

Stoddart wants users to have a better idea of what they're getting into when they sign up for Facebook and be aware that their profile could live on after they die.

Facebook will also take down an account if requested by a deceased user's family or friends.

Facebook has more than 300 million active users worldwide, including about 12 million in Canada.