What happens to your data when you die?

In this episode of Data Malarkey, Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, welcomes Carl Öhman, Assistant Professor in Political Science at Uppsala University and author of The Afterlife of Data: What Happens to Your Information When You Die and Why You Should Care.

Carl explores one of the most overlooked questions in the digital age: what becomes of the vast trail of data we all leave behind, and who gets to control it once we are gone. From history, archives, and memory to big tech business models, digital afterlife products, environmental costs, and the politics of forgetting, this is a rich and thought-provoking conversation about the future of our digital remains.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why the data we leave behind after death is a major political and ethical issue

• Why our so-called digital "trash" may become one of the richest archives in human history

• How social and digital media platforms are building unprecedented records of human behaviour

• Why digital afterlife products raise unsettling questions about grief, memory, and authenticity

• What happens when dead users start to outnumber living users on platforms like Facebook

• Why big tech has powerful incentives to keep hold of the data of the dead

• Whether regulation should include a kind of "right to be forgotten" after death - a "posthumous GDPR"

• Why data storage and environmental cost matter in debates about digital remains

• How AI and data may be creating something like a new digital theology

Topics we cover:

• Carl's route into studying death and digital traces

• Digital dandruff, archives, and the value of informational leftovers

• Ownership, memory, and the politics of historical record

• The future of historical research in a world of platform-controlled archives

• Black Mirror, digital resurrection, and the digital afterlife industry

• Big tech incentives and "holding our loved ones hostage"

• Regulation, GDPR, and who should guard the guards

• The carbon footprint of storing dead people's data

• Carl's next book, on AI: The Gods of Data

About our guest:
Carl Öhman is Assistant Professor in Political Science at Uppsala University. His research focuses on the politics and ethics of AI, digital memory, and the governance of information. He is the author of The Afterlife of Data and works at the intersection of technology, politics, and culture.

Links and resources mentioned:

• The Afterlife of Data by Carl Öhman - https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo209942751.html

• Carl's page at Uppsala University - https://bit.ly/4tIeXHX

• Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

In this live episode of Data Malarkey - recorded live on stage at the 'AI for PR' conference in June 2026 - Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, speaks with Pete Markey, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at the University of Nottingham. Their wide-ranging discussion covered, AI, brand relevance, trust, creative judgement, and the future of marketing.

Pete has led marketing and communications across some of the UK's best-known brands, from More Th>n, RSA, and the Post Office to Aviva, TSB and Boots. Drawing on decades of experience with some of the UK's best-known and most progressive brands, he shares a highly practical view of what AI is useful for, where it creates real value, and where brands still need strong human oversight.

From customer experience, creative versioning, and strategic thinking, to measurement, reputation, and the future world of work, this is a thoughtful conversation about how to embrace AI without losing what the humanity that can make brands truly distinctive.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why brand relevance is still one of the most important North Stars in marketing

• Why authenticity matters even more in an AI-mediated world

• Why AI can be brilliant for speed, efficiency, and creative adaptation

• Why Pete draws firm guardrails around AI-generated people and brand authenticity

• How data and testing are reshaping the role of the CMO

• Why marketing leaders need to educate their boards and exec teams on AI

• What skills younger and older comms professionals should be building now

• Why AI and human craft must coexist

Topics we cover:

• Staying relevant as a brand

• Trust, authenticity, and fragile public brands

• AI adoption at Boots and beyond

• Creative development, speed, and retail responsiveness

• The scientist, artist, and politician balance in the CMO role

• Measurement, eye tracking, and data-led campaign decisions

• AI in marketing operations and digital journeys

• The changing relationship between brands and agencies

• Entry-level jobs, future skills, and marketing careers in the AI era

About the guest:
Pete Markey is Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at the University of Nottingham. Across his career he has led marketing and communications for a range of major UK brands including More Th>n, RSA, the Post Office, Aviva, TSB, and Boots. Pete is known for combining strong brand thinking with a deep focus on data, effectiveness, and practical innovation.

Links and resources mentioned:

• Pete's LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermarkey/

• University of Nottingham website https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/

• Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com

What were the standout moments from Season 10 of Data Malarkey?

In this end-of-season special, host and Master Data Storyteller, Sam Knowles, looks back at some of the best bits, biggest ideas, and sharpest soundbites from across Season 10. This "greatest hits" episode brings together a brilliant and eclectic mix of guests and topics, from gender equality in football and inclusion in advertising, to online safety, AI, insight, the four-day week, startup success, and making sense of data in organisations.

Featuring clips from Karen and Charlie Dobres, former Directors of Lewes FC, Ali Hanan, Harriet Kingaby, Ahti Heinla, Dino Delić, and Charlotte Rae, this episode is both a recap for existing listeners and a perfect jumping-in point for anyone new to Data Malarkey.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How Lewes FC used attention, sponsorship, and crowd-building to drive gender equality in football

• Why equal FA Cup prize money remains a live issue

• What the new ROI - "return on inclusion" - means and how it drives advertising effectiveness

• Why the collapse of truth online should worry all of us

• How Skype and Starship Technologies were built from early-stage uncertainty into category-changing, global scaling businesses

• What the four-day week really means, and why it can improve both wellbeing and productivity

• Why many organisations still struggle to communications turn data into useful action

• How better questions, better framing, and better internal alignment lead to better decisions

Featured guests and themes:

• Karen and Charlie Dobres on Lewes FC and Equality FC

• Ali Hanan on return on inclusion

• Harriet Kingaby on truth, trust, and AI

• Ahti Heinla on Skype, Starship Technologies, and building world-changing tech

• Dino Delić on data, action, and why tools are not the problem

• Charlotte Rae on the four-day week

Take the Data Storytelling Scorecard: https://data-storytelling.scoreapp.com