Ethics After a death, digital estate can leave heirs at a loss
When a relative dies, their digital legacy is also left behind. If the deceased has left no instructions, heirs are often at a loss when faced with this intimate mass of digital data. This is according to the Foundation for Technology Assessment.
09.07.2024, 10:15
SDA
This circumstance can make the death even more difficult, as the administration of this legacy includes the instruction to preserve the life, work and personality in digital form, as the Foundation for Technology Assessment (TA-Swiss) wrote on Tuesday in its study "Death and Digitalization".
If the deceased leave no instructions, heirs are often at a loss when faced with an intimate mass of digital data. The possibilities opened up by the internet, social networks and AI are turning the usual mourning rituals upside down.
According to the study, this has a major impact on mourning. High technical, legal and ethical standards are needed. Legal adjustments are needed to enable digital wills.
