Digital Legacy in Focus at the ELI 2025 Annual Conference - Leading Experts to Discuss Succession of Digital Assets and Data
The European Law Institute (ELI) is pleased to announce a high-level panel on Succession of Digital Assets, Data and Other Digital Remains, to be held in the framework of its Annual Conference on 23 September 2025 in Vienna.
James Norris our founder will be contributing insights to this emerging and increasingly important subject matter obtained over the last 15 years of research, development, campaigning, implementation and impact.
The Succession of Digital Assets and Data
At the 2025 ELI Annual Conference, leading voices will examine how the law responds to the posthumous management of personal data, digital assets, and online identity.
23 September | Vienna: Speakers include:
- James Norris, Founder, MyWishes & The Digital Legacy Association
- Danguolė Bublienė, President, Supreme Court of Lithuania
- Régis Chatellier, Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL)
- Prof Edina Harbinja, University of Birmingham (Project Co-Reporter)
Chair: Prof Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell, ELI President-Elect
This session builds on ELI’s Model Rules on Succession of Digital Assets, Data and Other Digital Remains, to be approved by the ELI Council in September 2025 and, subject to Membership approval, will be made available in the public domain.
About the seminar and speakers
James Norris founded the Digital Legacy Association after working with a number of hospices and end-of-life charities in the UK. He oversees collaborative initiatives with hospitals, hospices, and NGOs addressing digital end-of-life planning and bereavement. He also runs the annual Digital Legacy Conference, a key forum for interdisciplinary dialogue, and lectures at various academic institutions on the ethical and practical challenges surrounding digital death and legacy. He has supported the general public and professionals with areas relating to digital assets and digital legacy since launching the first version of MyWishes (called DeadSocial) in 2012. This was the first ever, digital legacy planning software.
This panel forms part of ELI’s broader work on the subject, notably the project on Model Rules on Succession of Digital Assets, Data and Other Digital Remains, which is scheduled for final approval by the ELI Council in September 2025. Subject to approval by ELI’s Membership, the output will be made publicly available, offering a comprehensive legal framework to address the increasingly complex questions surrounding the posthumous management of digital assets, the rights of heirs, and the obligations of platforms and institutions. In an era marked by the pervasive use of digital technologies, this timely session will provide a unique forum for reflection on the evolving legal, ethical, and technical dimensions of digital succession. James contributed to this publication and Edina was a project reporter.
MyWishes advocates for and helps people make plans for their digital legacy and wider wishes. By doing so, each person is able to make plans and safeguard their digital legacy. MyWishes empowers society to document and share ‘what matter most’ to them in both the digital and physical world. We are a ‘tech for good’ service and everything we provide is free for the general public to use.
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Michael Sobell Hospice Palliative Care Department Mount Vernon Hospital, Gate 3 Northwood HA6 2RN United Kingdom (Map)
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MyWishes free to use software was developed under the guidance of healthcare, hospice, legal and funeral professionals. Our platform empowers society to make plans for both themselves and those they care about.