ETHICAL AND LEGAL CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL IMMORTALITY: BOUNDARIES OF AUTONOMY AND IDENTITY IN THE DIGITAL ERA

Abstract

The article examines the ethical and legal challenges associated with the concept of digital immortality in the context of the modern digital age. The authors consider the ethical and legal issues related to the preservation of the digital footprint and representation of the person after biological death on the Internet. The article proposes to analyze the ethical as-pects of digital immortality, paying attention to the right of a person to decide what to leave after his death in the digital space. The concept of the legal status of a digital person is also discussed. The legal norms governing access to the data of deceased persons and their digital accounts are being studied. The authors propose mechanisms that can ensure the fulfillment of a person's will regarding his digital representation after death, in particular, taking into account autonomy and identity in the digital space. The article also focuses on the legal aspects of removing the digital traces of deceased persons and ensuring the privacy and dignity of the deceased in the digital environment. Procedures and legal mechanisms that could be developed to address these issues are being explored. This article contributes to the integration of aspects of jurisprudence and philosophy to analyze the ethical, legal and philosophical dimensions of digital immortality. It emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between individual rights to privacy and control over one's digital heritage and collective interests such as societal norms, ethics and the protection of others. The conclusions presented in the article can serve as a basis for further discussion and development of ethical and legal factors that will take into account personal, social and technological aspects of digital immortality. Further research on this topic can contribute to the development of progressive legal and policy instruments that will ensure harmony between individual rights and societal needs in the digital space.