The internet is facing an age crisis, with the potential for more dead users on platforms like Facebook in the future. This presents a critical issue for the future of the internet and global power relations, yet there has been little preparation for it. The internet was once seen as a place beyond time and decay, but we now know that everyone using it will eventually die. This poses a threat to the economy based on targeted advertising, as the dead do not interact with ads but still require server space. Tech giants have not yet developed a plan for dealing with the data of deceased users, which may be used for AI training or sold back to descendants in the future.
John Perry Barlow’s 1997 declaration of the independence of cyberspace claimed that governments had no dominion over the internet, which was a realm for the young and tech-savvy who would never age. However, the reality is that the internet is not immune to the passage of time, and billions of users will die in the coming decades. This raises questions about the future of user data and the ethical and financial implications of using it for AI training or selling it back to descendants. The lack of preparation by tech giants for this eventuality highlights the need for a plan to address the issue.
The aging of the internet presents a complex challenge for platforms and their users. As more users pass away, their data remains on servers, posing a potential risk to the economy and raising ethical concerns about the use of this data. While the dead do not have data privacy rights, their information may be valuable for training new AI models or for commercial purposes in the future. However, the ethical implications of using deceased users’ data and the financial viability of such practices are uncertain.
The control over deceased users’ data on internet platforms will become a key issue in the coming years. The lack of preparation by tech giants for dealing with this data highlights the need for a plan to address the growing number of deceased users. The commercial potential of using deceased users’ data for AI training or selling it back to descendants raises ethical questions and underscores the need for careful consideration of how to handle this sensitive issue. As the internet continues to age, the fate of deceased users’ data will become a critical battleground for the future of the internet and its impact on global power relations.
