Facebook accidentally declared its founder Mark Zuckerberg and many other users dead on Friday, acknowledging after fixing the problem that it had committed a “terrible error.”
“For a brief period today, a message meant for memorialized profiles was mistakenly posted to other accounts,” a Facebook spokesperson told AFP. “This was a terrible error that we have now fixed.”
Media reports indicated that some two million errant memorials were posted on profile pages.
Even Facebook co-founder and chief executive Zuckerberg was memorialized in a message at his profile page expressing hope that people who loved him would take comfort in posts people shared in tribute to his life.
The social network apologized and said it worked as quickly as possible to correct the problem.
The mistaken memorial notices contained links to forms that can be submitted to have people’s accounts at the leading social network modified into online memorials after they die.
Part of the process is showing proof of death. (AFP)