Protecting Human Dignity Beyond Death: A Human Rights Framework for Digital Legacy Governance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Keywords:
Human Dignity, Digital Legacy, Artificial Intelligence, Posthumous Privacy, Human Rights, Digital Identity, Data Governance, Digital Resurrection.Abstract
The digital age has fundamentally transformed the way individuals create, store, and communicate personal information. Social media profiles, cloud-based records, digital photographs, emails, biometric information, and artificial intelligence-generated content increasingly form an integral part of human identity. Unlike physical possessions, digital footprints often continue to exist long after a person’s death. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have further complicated this reality by enabling the creation of digital avatars, virtual replicas, and interactive simulations of deceased individuals. These developments raise significant legal and human rights concerns regarding privacy, dignity, identity, autonomy, and reputation after death. Existing legal frameworks primarily focus on property succession and data protection during an individual’s lifetime, leaving substantial gaps in the governance of posthumous digital identities. This article examines the concept of digital legacy through the lens of human dignity and argues that legal systems must recognize the continuing significance of an individual’s digital identity beyond death. It proposes a human-rights-based framework for digital legacy governance that balances technological innovation with the protection of posthumous dignity, privacy, and autonomy. The article concludes that emerging technologies require a re-evaluation of traditional legal doctrines and the development of comprehensive international standards to safeguard human dignity in the digital afterlife.
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