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CrowdScience

How many dead people are on the internet?

Sep 18, 2026 · 34m

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CrowdScience listener Devin in Canada has just had a baby. Worried that all the good email addresses might be taken by the time his child needs one, he has already set up an account. But it got him wondering: how many email addresses belong to people who have died? From websites and blogs to email accounts, social media profiles, gaming avatars and even our conversations with AI, we’re all leaving behind a trail of digital footprints that can outlive us. So what happens to them when we die? Are they deleted, recycled or preserved? And who gets to decide? Presenter Anand Jagatia travels beyond the digital veil and into the internet’s afterlife to find out. Professor Edina Harbinja from the…