What happens to our digital identities after death and who should decide their future?
In a recent ITNOW article, Professor Neil Gordon CITP, Chair of Working Group 9.2 (Social Accountability and Computing) and Chair of the BCS ICT Ethics Specialist Group, examines the growing challenges of managing digital legacies in an increasingly connected world.
The article explores how legal protections for personal data often cease at death, leaving digital assets and online identities subject to platform policies rather than clear governance frameworks.
The discussion also considers the impact of emerging AI technologies that can create posthumous digital personas, raising important questions around consent, ownership, authenticity and ethical use.
As digital technologies continue to reshape society, these issues present significant challenges for researchers, policymakers and computing professionals worldwide.
Read the full article on the BCS Website: Digital legacies: what should happen to your data?
or see the article in ITNOW, Volume 68, Issue 2, Summer 2026, pp. 38-39. DOI: Digital Legacies and Our Online Future.