What happens to our online data after death?

Like any will, these standalone documents provide an opportunity to instruct an heir on what to do with specific digital creations or profiles. Otherwise, general free rein can be permitted and passwords and usernames included for relevant platforms.

Generally speaking, they’re not widely known about. Barring a tiny minority who have the foresight to prepare for this very nuanced issue before their time comes, many more will leave their loved ones either powerless to intervene or tied up in email threads with solicitors.

In most cases, there will likely be no direct repercussions from failing to purge data, but it’s known that inactive profiles are the most vulnerable to hacking, identity theft, and general misuse.

Attaining peace of mind through researching the varying data-retention rates of companies, meanwhile, will likely knock years off your own life.

‘The dead remain there for us in a way that has not been possible in pre-digital society,’ Ohman states in his work. As a result, ‘Living in the post-mortal condition is to constantly find oneself in the shoes of Max Brod.’

If you’re unfamiliar, Max Brod was a close friend to Czech author Franz Kafka in the 1930s. Upon his death, Brod ignored Kafka’s wish to let his unpublished writings perish. Instead, Brod edited and published Kafka’s works and he went on to become revered as one of the greatest writers of his time.

This conundrum is arguably more prevalent than ever today, as the vast majority of people will leave behind a digital trace of their own lives, whether incidental or creative. The question of whether we should treat the data of the deceased with any sort of reverence remains as ethically dubious as ever, nonetheless.

The issue is a contentious and philosophical one, but one that probably needs confronting at a legislative level sooner rather than later.

Ask yourself this question: would you want your voice and likeness programmed into a digital assistant device or chatbot after your death? That prospect has moved from Black Mirror, firmly into the realm of possibility.