Facebook trying out new tools for those in break-ups

On Behalf of | Nov 20, 2015 | Divorce

One of the things a person may have concerns about when getting divorced are their social media accounts. 

For one, they might be worried about what impacts their social media accounts could have in their divorcing proceedings. Social media content can sometimes end up playing a role in divorce cases. Thus, when going though a divorce, it can be vital for a person to exercise proper discretion when it comes to their social media postings. Attorneys can help answer questions divorcing individuals have on the intersection of social media and divorce legal issues and whether social media content could end up playing a role in their divorce. 

Another social media worry divorcing individuals may have is a worry that their social media use after the divorce will end up inadvertently exposing them to emotionally painful moments, such as painful or sad memories being stirred up by seeing their ex’s name attached to their social media content or routinely seeing status updates from their ex. Thus, one thing individuals sometimes desire to do with their social media accounts after a divorce is takes steps to reduce their likelihood of being exposed to things regarding their ex during their social media use. Unfortunately, these steps can sometimes be on the arduous side.

Recently, Facebook announced it is introducing tools aimed at making these sorts of steps easier for individuals who are going through a divorce or a break-up. The tools purportedly include simplified processes for a variety of things including:

  • Keeping an ex’s Facebook activity off of one’s news feed.
  • Editing large numbers of past Facebook posts one’s ex is tagged in.
  • Hiding Facebook posts from one’s ex.
  • Keeping an ex’s name from being suggested for new photos or posts on Facebook.

To start with, the tools will not be released to all Facebook users, but rather released on a testing basis. During this testing stage, the tools will be available to U.S. users who access Facebook through mobile devices. One wonders what changes will be made to the tools between this testing phase and a full release.

What do you think of Facebook adding these types of tools? How big of a help do you think such tools could be for divorcing individuals?

Source: The New York Times, “Facebook to Make Breaking Up Easier to Do,” Daniel Victor, Nov. 19, 2015

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