The Dark Side of Digital Heritage: Ethics and Sustainability in Digital Practice

Digital heritage as practice is rarely included in conversations about climate change or social justice which impact the wider field of cultural heritage. This paper provides an overview of some of the growing and complex environmental and ethical concerns that might be relevant to management, production and archiving of digital heritage projects. This review will help to identify gaps in the understanding of the hidden, horrific environmental and human costs involved in the production of digital devices and equipment, e-waste, and the twenty first century profusion of data and devices. This work challenges digital heritage practitioners, as well as policy makers, to undertake further research, and take ethical and sustainable strategic steps to address these issues within their projects as well as the wider cultural heritage sectors