Starting today, you will be able to share your organ donor status with Facebook friends. Only if you live in the U.S., though.  

 In a press release, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg stated the need for broader awareness about organ donation, and expressed their hopes that the social network could play a role in connecting donors with needs. On average, 18 people die daily while waiting for a heart, kidney, or liver transplant.

An accompanying video walks the viewer through the organ donor registering steps (Go to ‘Life Events,’ then ‘Health & Wellness,’ then select ‘Organ Donor).

Users will be able to include where and when they have registered. Organ Donor status will be subject to the same privacy functions as other posts and can be made available to the public, close friends, or just family.

(The video ends by saying, “Go to your timeline to get started.” Hopefully it’s obvious to everyone that you should go to your brick and mortar local register first, not your Facebook timeline to become a registered organ donor.)

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May Jeong is Toronto Standard’s business editor. Follow her on Twitter @mayjeong.

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