How many dead people are on the internet?
Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe
CrowdScience listener Devin in Canada has just had a baby. He decided to set up an email account for their new arrival, because he was worried that all the good addresses will have been used up by the time the baby needed one.
But that got him thinking… how many of those addresses are tied up by dead people? How much of the internet is claimed by people who are no longer with us? And what’s the energy consumption and environmental impact of all the wasted data storage and extra pointless spam emails?
Presenter Anand Jagatia is on the case, taking a trip into the internet’s afterlife to try and find answers.
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- Fri 18 Sep 2026 19:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Mon 21 Sep 2026 01:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service except Americas and the Caribbean
- Mon 21 Sep 2026 04:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
- Mon 21 Sep 2026 08:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service
- Mon 21 Sep 2026 12:32GMTÂé¶¹Éç World Service Australasia, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa only
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CrowdScience
Answering your questions about life, Earth and the universe