Facebook Could Monetize User Accounts Even After Death, New Patent Reveals Plans

Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) ended the fourth quarter with over 3.5 billion daily active users across its apps such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads.

While the company is expanding artificial intelligence tools and use cases, it also has a patent that could use AI to keep users posting on its platforms forever, even after death.

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Meta's AI Posting Patent

The use cases for artificial intelligence can be good and bad for many consumers and companies. File the news of a new patent from Meta under the category of bad for many users, as it has already faced severe customer backlash.

The Facebook and Instagram parent landed a patent in December 2025 that would allow the company to "simulate" the social media activity of users even after they die, according to a report from Business Insider.

"The language model may be used for simulating the user when the user is absent from the social networking system, for example, when the user takes a long break or if the user is deceased," the patent reads.

Imagine for a minute, a close friend or relative passing away, and their Facebook account continuing. The account would use large language models to mimic their past posting styles and context to make posts and reply to others. Users getting a “Happy birthday” post on their Facebook wall from a deceased relative could happen in the future.

The patent makes the case that a user stopping posting during a prolonged break or after death could harm its remaining users.

"The impact on the users is much more severe and permanent if that user is deceased and can never return to the social networking platform."

While Facebook secured the patent, it may have just been in case of something years away.

"We have no plans to move forward with this example," a Meta spokesperson told Business Insider.

Keeping Facebook accounts running after death isn't exactly new to the company. The company has had tools like a "legacy contact" that can run an account after a person's death in place for around a decade.

AI Gone Too Far?

Alongside the many positives of AI, there will be negatives and use cases that are questioned by consumers.

While Meta isn't putting this into practice, the idea of patenting the technology could signal that the company at least thought about it or want to utilize it down the road.

Celebrity avatars such as the Tupac hologram performing at Coachella in 2012 and tours with other deceased musicians performing on stage became a topic of debate on whether this should be allowed or the dead should be remembered and not used for monetization once again.

For Meta, the same could be said in the case of whether the accounts on Facebook and Instagram for dead people should fade away or if they should continue to be counted in active accounts, be used to post content, and ultimately be monetizable for the company.

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