Digital Inheritance

The data that makes up people's online identities lies scattered across the virtual landscape, consisting of emails, photos, social network site interactions and more. Such data can have emotional, financial and intellectual significance. Yet the awkward question of what happens to this data when a user dies lies unanswered. There are three main components to this open question, which this research seeks to address: (1) How do online applications need to change to allow users to nominate data inheritors? There is no obvious mechanism for the bequest of one's digital artefacts. It is subject to the terms of use of individual web sites and Internet Service Providers (ISPs), buried far down in the small print or not dealt with at all. In life, we own our personal data, no matter where it is held. (2) How do online applications need to change to facilitate inheritance of personal data in the inevitable event of a user's death? After death, ownership of the deceased's personal data is a grey area. This can result in distress and inconvenience for the bereaved as they struggle to retrieve precious online artefacts. (3) What are the boundaries for the acceptable creation, ownership and management of online memorials which re-purpose inherited data, appropriate to UK cultural norms? We are already seeing spontaneous technology-based responses to death and loss emerging- e.g. - online memorials. Many are respectful and appropriate, yet some are not - and can cause further anguish to the bereaved as a result. There is a lack of research to establish boundaries of acceptability in this highly sensitive area.In this research, I will address the questions outlined above from a participatory perspective, collaborating with users, and with experts in law, psychology, sociology and social software. I will first establish what people want to happen to their data after they die, their preferences in expressing these choices, and how these choices should be acted upon. I will then examine how the bereaved choose to repurpose these digital artefacts, how this repurposing can assist in the grieving process, and the way in which these repurposed artefacts should be managed to protect the sensitivities of the bereaved. The work will be underpinned by a theoretical understanding of the bereavement process and empathetic social behaviour.

The individuals, groups and organisations who will benefit from the research are: (i) Technology users, particularly those who face death either through working in dangerous occupations such as the Armed Forces, or through terminal illness. They will benefit by having an easy-to-use mechanism to bequeath their digital artefacts, and jargon-free guidance on how to use it. (ii) The bereaved. The distress, complexity and time involved in accessing the deceased's digital artefacts will be reduced, leading to a higher quality of life for the bereaved. We will achieve this by making the bequest and inheritance of digital artefacts much more straightforward, as described in detail in the Case for Support. We will author guidance on following the 'digital inheritance' protocol developed in simple, jargon-free language. This guidance will be distributed through support and advice organisations (for example Social Services, Citizen's Advice Bureau, funeral directors, community spiritual leaders, law firms). At present, these organisations provide the bereaved with a leaflet detailing administrative steps to take after a death - such as how you stop mailings. We will produce guidance on managing digital data as an addendum to this, written in simple, jargon-free language. (iii) Voluntary and public sector organisations that support the bereaved (e.g Citizen's Advice Bureau, Social Services, religious organisations), lawyers and funeral directors. Through the provision of digital wills, inheritance protocols and guidance notes, they will be able to support clients who wish to bequeath or inherit digital artefacts. Digital wills, inheritance protocols and guidance notes will be made available via a dedicated website, hosted at the University of Dundee. They will also be distributed through third sector and commercial organisations that support and advise the bereaved. The research will also benefit: (iv) Policy makers. It is in the public interest to define what should happen to an individual's data after their death, rather than leaving Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to make the decision behind closed doors. We will report on the research findings to organisations in the UK such as the Information Commissioner's Office, for whom this is an area of interest. The collaborating organisations SCRIPT and CDAS have established track records in advising governments and international bodies. (v) ISPs and software developers. Best-practice guidelines will be created for the developers of online applications. These will guide developers in the inclusion of an option to nominate inheritors of digital artefacts in their applications. Moncur will engage with the Industry Advisory Board and spend time at Intel and Microsoft to develop and disseminate these guidelines.