The politics of postmortem privacy
The concept of postmortem privacy refers to protecting the presence of deceased individuals within digital spaces. However, its scope, justificatory foundations, and application vary across jurisdictions. This paper explores the internal diversity of this concept by examining points of tension and conflict through three different loci: the transatlantic divide between European and American approaches, intra-European tensions within data protection governance, and postcolonial
The concept of postmortem privacy refers to protecting the presence of deceased individuals within digital spaces. However, its scope, justificatory foundations, and application vary across jurisdictions. This paper explores the internal diversity of this concept by examining points of tension and conflict through three different loci: the transatlantic divide between European and American approaches, intra-European tensions within data protection governance, and postcolonial and post-authoritarian contexts in the Global South.
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Why it matters: Understanding the politics of postmortem privacy is crucial for engineers and researchers working on AI-powered data management systems, as it highlights the need to consider diverse cultural, social, and historical perspectives when designing these systems. This knowledge can inform the development of more inclusive and respectful approaches to handling digital information about deceased individuals.
Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.16905
This article was originally published at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.16905