Calgary

Facebook sorry for 'terrible error' that killed off still-living users

If your Facebook page says you're dead, don't believe it. It's telling a lot of people that today.

Some users were shocked to see memorial banners at the top of their friends' profile pages Friday afternoon

Facebook was memorializing many people on this Remembrance Day — problem is, they're still alive. (Canadian Press)

If your Facebook page says you're dead, don't believe it.

It's telling a lot of people that today. 

"For a brief period today, a message meant for memorialized profiles was mistakenly posted to other accounts," a spokesperson for the social media site told CBC News in an email. "This was a terrible error that we have now fixed. We are very sorry that this happened and we worked as quickly as possible to fix it.".

Essentially, the glitch made accounts go into memorialized mode, which adds a banner at the top of the page. 

A number of Facebook users reported that their profile page on the social network was topped with a message that referred to them by name — as if they were gone — while linking to a feature that "memorializes" the page of someone who has died.

The message said Facebook hoped the users' loved ones would find comfort in seeing posts that others shared about them.

It didn't happen to all accounts, but it was widespread — and it included Facebook's own founder, Mark Zuckerberg. 

Even Mark Zuckerberg was memorialized on Facebook in what appears to be a widespread glitch. (Facebook screengrab)

While the ghoulish glitch seems to be fixed, it was amusing for many online.

With files from Paul Haavardsrud and The Canadian Press