Media and comment (Spring 2019 review)

Responding to recent debates about the use of data to track the spread of COVID-19 (and the ethical issues that follow), this article and this letter to the Financial Times makes the case for further efforts to develop data stewardship mechanisms, such as data trusts.

A recent article by The Economist explores the role of data trusts and cooperatives in helping share the benefits of the data economy across society.

A 2020 paper for the Harvard Business Review explores some of the different ways that individuals can regain a sense of ‘ownership’ over their data.

In this 2019 letter to the Financial Times, Neil Lawrence and Sylvie Delacroix argue that, by pooling their data in Trusts, individuals can gain an economic and political voice in debates about data use.

In the context of debates about the development of civic data trusts to manage smart cities data, this blog at the Centre for International Governance Innovation - and this video - explores what a data trust is and the policy challenges it poses.

Exploring the results of some pilot data trust projects by the Open Data Institute, this 2019 article in the Financial Times considers questions about data privacy and governance, and the role for data trusts as a governance tool.

A 2019 blogpost by Nesta considers the role that trusts, cooperatives, and other mechanisms can play in creating an ecosystem of trust.

Responding to debates about whether data can be treated as property - and whether this matters - this blog considers the legal basis for such discussions.

A 2016 article for The Guardian suggests that data trusts could play a role in alleviating concerns around privacy, drawing inspiration from the creation of land societies as a means of empowering individuals to negotiate with powerful actors.