But on Facebook (FB), these changes come with additional complications due to the limited number of relationship status options available and the impact that changes to this status can have on whether a marriage is represented on the deceased’s Facebook (FB) memorial pages. “The relationship status is such a source of deep pain when a widow chooses to proceed with a new relationship,” she wrote in the letter. A separate Change.org petition started in September 2021 received nearly 20,000 signatures asking Facebook to retain the “widowed from” status permanently and allow users to create a new relationship status if they want. Facebook also allows users to change their relationship status to “widowed” and specify a partner’s name if a partner’s account has been memorialized. Sandberg lists Bernthal as her spouse on Facebook; Goldberg’s account is a memorial page, where it lists six former places of employment.

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