A Blueprint for Data Justice
Working toward a research-backed framework for inclusive, open, and respectful online spaces that prioritizes human rights and media pluralism over speculative profit.
Epistemic Rights
Protecting the right to be informed truthfully. Modern ecosystems often perpetuate "epistemic injustices" by marginalizing local knowledge in favor of Global North algorithmic defaults.
Infrastructure Oversight
Addressing "infrastructure capture" by Big Tech. This requires multi-stakeholder auditing and public accountability for the invisible systems that shape democratic deliberation.
Digital De-Colonialism
Resisting digital colonialism by supporting local digital infrastructures. Sovereignty means communities having control over their own data processing and AI training logic.
Labor Protection
Ensuring fair conditions for the "ghost workers" of AI. As observed in India and Kenya, the gamification of precarity through GPS-tracking must be countered with robust labor rights.
Radical Resistance
Fostering "radical resistance" to dominant technology designs. This involves building alternative, non-extractive data governance frameworks that prioritize the public interest.
Media Plurality
Strengthening the sustainability of news media. We must decouple journalism from platform dependency to ensure a diverse, representative public sphere.
The Path Forward
"Addressing exploitative datafication depends on protecting collective interests in democracy. This means treating data governance as a lever for restructuring markets and tackling concentrations of wealth that jeopardize international solidarity."
— Strategic Vision (Mansell et al., 2025)