The World Assembly,
Acknowledging that the rapid advancement of the digital age has resulted in billions of individuals maintaining comprehensive digital footprints, consisting of private communications, financial records, biometric data, personal photographs, and search histories;
Concerned that upon a citizen's death, these deeply personal data repositories are frequently left in a legal vacuum, exposed to corporate monetization, algorithmic exploitation, or unauthorized access by third parties without the explicit prior consent of the deceased;
Believing that the fundamental right to privacy should not abruptly terminate upon biological death, and that individuals possess an inherent right to determine the final disposition of their digital selves;
Seeking to establish a uniform global framework that empowers consumers to manage their digital legacies while preventing commercial entities from exploiting the data of the deceased;
Defines the following:
- "Digital Asset" refers to any online account, digital file, private message, financial transaction history, or personal data stored on servers operated by a commercial entity.
- "Data Custodian" refers to any corporation, platform, or service provider that hosts, processes, or stores digital assets for users.
- "Digital Heir" refers to an individual or entity explicitly designated by a user to manage or delete their digital assets post-mortem.
Hereby enacts as follows:
Every individual utilizing digital services within a member state shall have the legally protected right to determine the post-mortem fate of their digital assets. Data Custodians are strictly required to provide users with clear, accessible, and prominent tools within their account settings to choose one of the following directives:Data Custodians are strictly prohibited from compiling, analyzing, selling, or utilizing the digital assets of a deceased individual for targeted advertising, algorithmic training, or commercial profit, unless the deceased provided explicit, opt-in consent for such activities prior to their passing.
- Immediate Deletion: The automatic and permanent erasure of all digital assets and personal data associated with the account upon verified notification of death.
- Legacy Transfer: The designation of a Digital Heir who will be granted specific, user-defined access to manage, download, or close the account.
- Passive Preservation: The locking or memorialization of the account, keeping it active in a static, non-public state without granting access or modification rights to anyone.
To protect the privacy of the deceased and their correspondents:
- A designated Digital Heir shall not be granted access to private, direct communications (such as private messages, emails, or direct chats) unless the deceased explicitly authorized the retrieval of those communications in their digital legacy directive or a valid legal will.
- Data Custodians must verify the identity of a Digital Heir and require official proof of the user’s death (such as a death certificate or local official notice) before executing any post-mortem directives.
Establishes:
The World Assembly Digital Legacy Commission (WADLC) as a specialized regulatory subsidiary composed of technological, legal, and human rights experts appointed by member states.
The WADLC shall publish unified technical standards for secure identity verification, maintain a public registry of platform compliance, and serve as an arbitral body for cross-border disputes when a Data Custodian in one member state fails to honor the legacy directives of a citizen in another. The WADLC shall respect sovereign judicial processes and possess no domestic criminal jurisdiction.
Member states shall establish or task relevant domestic regulatory bodies to monitor compliance within their borders, cooperating with the WADLC to enforce cross-border privacy protections. Data Custodians found violating user directives or exploiting deceased users' data shall be subject to civil penalties and fines levied by the host nation.
