Why automatic data preservation matters for bereaved families

Ofcom has issued its consultation on Data Preservation Notices (DPNs) and Coroner Information Notices (CINs). See... https://www.ofcom.org.uk/.../consultation-on-data...

As Jools’ mum, and as a campaigner for Jools’ Law, I want to share the reality families face when a child dies suddenly:

Many parents don’t know all the accounts their child had; children often use multiple platforms, under different usernames. How can a coroner possibly know where to request data from?

Without a standardised process, crucial evidence is easily lost. For example:

Hollie Dance was unaware that Archie Battersbee had social media accounts.

I didn’t know Jools had multiple accounts and neither did the police discover this. Another family I know only discovered after their daughter’s death that she’d been groomed on an app called LMK, which they, and I, had never heard of.

Even if coroners do request data, how are they expected to know what to ask for? Algorithms, search histories, “For You” feeds, private messages — all could hold vital answers.

And here’s a critical procedural issue:

When a child dies, the coroner will usually open an inquest quickly. However, in many cases, the inquest is then suspended while the police conduct their investigation. Once suspended, the coroner cannot issue CINs or DPNs. Responsibility for gathering evidence, including digital evidence, is passed back to the police.

This creates a dangerous gap. The police rarely act swiftly enough to preserve online data, and while responsibility bounces between agencies, the “golden hour” passes. Platforms may delete or alter vital evidence before anyone acts.

This happened in Lincolnshire, where parents were told their coroner couldn’t request social media data because the inquest was open but suspended. The same opening and closing happened in Jools’ case.

So even though the new DPN powers exist, coroners cannot use them once they suspend an inquest, leaving families at the mercy of police delays.

This is precisely why Jools’ Law is needed: automatic preservation of a child’s social media data at the point of death, without waiting for coroners or police to determine jurisdiction.

Without automatic preservation, bereaved parents are left fighting an uphill battle for scraps of information while the truth about their child’s final days may already have been erased.

We cannot allow that to continue.

#JoolsLaw #OnlineSafety #ChildSafety #BereavedParents #DigitalEvidence