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cover of episode Who Owns Our Digital Afterlives? With Carl Öhman

Who Owns Our Digital Afterlives? With Carl Öhman

2025/4/12
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Carl Öhman: 我研究的跨学科背景,从比较文学到社会学,再到互联网社会科学,最终让我对死亡与数字遗产产生了浓厚兴趣。起初,我对人工智能创作文学作品的可能性感到好奇,这促使我思考人类与他们身后留下的数字足迹之间的关系。我的研究深入探讨了数字遗产的伦理、政治和经济维度,包括数据所有权、数据管理以及科技公司在其中的作用。我发现,互联网的永恒性是一个神话,数据并非永久存在,其保存依赖于持续的维护和经济支持。Facebook上死亡用户的数量在未来可能会超过活用户,这凸显了数字遗产管理的挑战。互联网数据的易失性将导致未来的数字黑暗时代,对历史研究造成严重影响。大型科技公司对数字遗产的私有化控制,将对历史研究和社会发展造成威胁,例如Elon Musk对Twitter(现X)数据的控制影响了对Me Too运动的研究。虽然个人数据控制的解决方案很有前景,但对于已经存在的数百万死亡互联网用户的数字遗产,集体解决方案才是必要的。本书呼吁人们将数字遗产问题视为公民责任,而非仅仅是个人隐私问题。人们在死后对基因数据的缺乏控制,以及公司破产后数据可能被拍卖的风险,突显了数字遗产管理的重要性。我主张加强法律法规,赋予死者类似于生者的数据保护权利,以防止公司在死者去世后滥用其数据。档案馆和图书馆员在长期数据管理方面具有专业知识,可以为数字遗产管理提供宝贵经验。对死者的数据进行研究可能具有伦理优势,因为它避免了对活人的隐私和知情同意的担忧。对死人数据的研究具有多种价值,包括经济价值、文化价值和伦理价值,需要综合考虑多种价值观。图书馆和档案馆可以作为数字遗产管理的可靠机构,其经验和基础设施可以被利用。互联网本身就是一个档案馆,而我们活人才是这个空间中的异常存在。 Stephanie Hare: 与Carl Öhman的讨论中,我关注到数字遗产问题日益严峻,特别是考虑到未来互联网上死亡用户数量将超过活用户。这引发了对数据所有权、数据隐私以及科技公司在其中作用的思考。我们讨论了互联网数据的易失性以及由此可能造成的数字黑暗时代,以及大型科技公司对历史数据的控制和潜在的滥用。我们还探讨了个人如何更好地保护自己的数字遗产,以及是否有必要制定法律法规来规范数字遗产的管理。此外,我们还讨论了利用死者的数据进行研究的伦理问题,以及如何平衡研究的益处与对死者隐私的尊重。

Deep Dive

Chapters
The podcast opens by discussing the growing issue of digital remains, with a prediction that deceased Facebook users will outnumber the living by 2070. It introduces Carl Öhman, author of "The Afterlife of Data," and Stephanie Hare as they explore the ethics and politics of digital identities after death.
  • Deceased Facebook users may outnumber the living by 2070.
  • Growing debate over digital remains and data after death.
  • Focus on the ethics, politics, and future of digital identities.

Shownotes Transcript

These days, so much of our lives takes place online - but what about our afterlives? A recent study by the Oxford Internet Institute predicts that the number of deceased Facebook users could outnumber the living by 2070. As AI advances, a debate is growing over digital remains and what should be done with the vast amounts of data we leave behind.

In this episode, Carl Öhman, author of The Afterlife of Data: What Happens to Your Information When You Die and Why You Should Care, explores the ethics, politics, and future of our digital identities. Named one of The Economist's Best Books of 2024, Öhman’s work sheds light on who truly owns our data after death - and whether we should have a say in our digital legacy.

Carl Öhman is an assistant professor of political science at Uppsala University, Sweden. His research spans several topics, including the politics and ethics of AI, deepfakes and digital remains.

He is joined in conversation by Stephanie Hare, researcher, broadcaster, and author of *Technology is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics. *

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