Last month Facebook sent me an email to remind me that it was Ken’s birthday. A delightful man, Ken. Right up to his death, two years ago. There’s nothing so heartless as an algorithm, but really …
Facebook says it’s doing what it can to avoid such insensitivities. And you can see the problem. When a Facebook user dies, they often take their log-in details to the grave. So even if Ken’s widow or children wanted to halt the computer-generated reminders that they haven’t talked to Ken for a while or, indeed, that his birthday is approaching, there’s not much they can do.
