One of the activities of an expert workshop run by the Engineroom project in March 2018, was to examine challenges for a set of umbrella topics. "Internet and Data Sovereignty" was one of those topics and four distinct areas of discussion were elicited:
- General thoughts;
- Challenges;
- Opportunities;
- Examples.
Internet and Data Sovereignty
Described as: Currently a lack of control over personal data. Decentralised data governance. New standards around data portability and interoperability.
General thoughts
- Ambiguity around the term “sovereignty”, maybe we should talk about agency.
- Not only focus on empowering individuals but also at a collective and community level.
- Be aware that with control we also bear responsibility.
- Risks and questions about consent and traceability need to be addressed.
Challenges
- How to make data understandable and attractive for humans.
- Lack of data portability
- Lack of plurality due to concentration of data.
- As privacy becomes a commodity, there emerges a challenge on inequality.
- Data boxes giving control back to users are difficult to execute securely and efficiently.
- How do we build trust in leveraging data sharing for social good?
Opportunities
- Data commons models empower citizens in controlling their own data.
- Requirement for tools providing transparent and accessible interaction.
- Data commons models allow for a more pluriform landscape.
- Free and Open Source models should be promoted at a European level.
Examples
- Indigenous communities in South Africa and Australia
- the DECODE project
- BBC Databox
- MyData conference.
1 comment on "Internet and Data Sovereignty "
Stop talking about data! (it's anathema to a 'new narrative')
I recently participated in the event "30 years of the Web: where do we go next?" in Brussels (22-3-19). I was so struck by the discrepancy between the lofty goal of a "new narrative for the internet" and the prominent role of the concept of "data" in all discussions, that I wrote a short post on it: https://medium.com/@joop.ringelberg/stop-talking-about-data-329f56ba3b38. In summary: "data" is the central concept in the dominant narrative ("Data is the new gold; the web is a mine"). As long as we discuss in terms of the frame of our self-chosen opponents, we've half lost the battle! Data is a means to an end and we should discuss the ends in a way that is free of current technological thinking. An alternative is available.