Social media companies have increasingly integrated artificial intelligence (AI) features on their platforms, but some of these features can also raise significant privacy issues. 

 

In December 2025, Meta was granted a patent for technology that could use artificial intelligence to simulate a user’s social media presence after their death. The system could analyze a person’s posts, messages, and online behavior to generate new content or interactions that appear to come from that individual. Although Meta has stated it is not currently pursuing this technology, the very existence of such a model raises serious concerns about how personal data could be used to create AI-driven “digital replicas” of real people after they have died.

 

All online platforms must respect the digital identity of their users. For this reason, I plan to introduce legislation that would require clear, informed, and revocable consent before a social media platform may use a user’s data to generate AI-driven content or interactions on that user’s behalf after death or prolonged account inactivity. Additionally, users would be required to opt-in for social media platforms to be enrolled in such features, so nobody can be automatically enrolled.

 

Social media companies should not have the power to animate our digital identities after we are gone without our explicit permission. Pennsylvanians deserve the right to decide what happens to their online presence and personal data after death, and families deserve protection from the unsettling possibility of AI-generated “digital ghosts.”