The Afterlife of Data – What Happens to Your Data When You Die?
Thu Feb 05 2026
Are you ready for an uncomfortable question… What happens to your data after you die?
Buckle up — in this episode, Matthew Roberts is joined by Carl Öhman, Associate Professor at Uppsala University and author of The Afterlife of Data, to explore what becomes of our personal information after death and the ethical, political, and cultural consequences of our digital legacies.
Tune in as Matt seeks Carl’s perspective on what happens when today’s tech giants gain access to the data of millions of deceased users. Together, they dive into how “death data” might be regulated, monetized, and ultimately controlled. From advertising and memorialized profiles to data ownership and the recording of history, this episode opens Pandora’s box at the intersection of morality, business, and memory.
This episode may not have all the answers, but it undeniably has all the questions you should be asking.
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Are you ready for an uncomfortable question… What happens to your data after you die? Buckle up — in this episode, Matthew Roberts is joined by Carl Öhman, Associate Professor at Uppsala University and author of The Afterlife of Data, to explore what becomes of our personal information after death and the ethical, political, and cultural consequences of our digital legacies. Tune in as Matt seeks Carl’s perspective on what happens when today’s tech giants gain access to the data of millions of deceased users. Together, they dive into how “death data” might be regulated, monetized, and ultimately controlled. From advertising and memorialized profiles to data ownership and the recording of history, this episode opens Pandora’s box at the intersection of morality, business, and memory. This episode may not have all the answers, but it undeniably has all the questions you should be asking.