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ones, and even if they work from similar templates, will apply them differently. Democracies will set boundaries for data collection and use that
are different from those of authoritarian states—yet we all have to work together on this problem. Like climate
change, any unregulated data market
affects us all.
So neither harmonized data protection nor ethical principles are the
answer—or at least not on their own.
Ethics, at the moment at least, is too
frequently just a cover for self-regu-lation.
6 We need to ask global questions about global problems, but we
are often stuck looking at our own
environment and our own set of tools,
without understanding what kind of
toolkit can address the international-level consequences of our growing
data economy.
If we ask this global question, in-
stead: How to draw on approaches
that are working in different places,
nomic, and political environments.
WhatsApp, for example, allows par-
ents’ groups to message each other
about carpooling. It also facilitates
ethnic violence in India and Myan-
mara and facilitates extremist poli-
ticsb in Brazil. Technology almost al-
ways has unintended consequences,
and given the global reach of apps
and services, the consequences of our
global data economy are becoming
less and less predictable.
1
Global data justice researchers are
aiming to frame new governance so-
lutions that can help with this glob-
al level of unpredictability. In this
emerging research field, we are ex-
ploring how the tools we have are glo-
balizing: regulation, research ethics,
professional standards and guide-
lines are all having to be translated
into new environments, and get un-
a See https://bit.ly/2z WDIKO
b See https://nyti.ms/2EzEP5h
derstood differently in different plac-
es. Nigeria, the U.S., and India, for
example, will each have a different
idea of what is ‘good’ or ‘necessary’ to
do with data technologies, and how
to regulate their development and
use. Our research asks how to recon-
cile those different viewpoints, given
that each of those international ac-
tors—plus myriad others—will have
the power to develop and sell data
technologies that will affect people
all around the world.
Currently much of the international discussion revolves around harmonizing data protection amongst
countries, and getting technology developers to agree on ethical principles
and guidelines. Neither of these are
bad ideas, but each can go in a radically different direction depending
on local views on what is good and
desirable. Strongly neoliberal, pro-market countries will develop different principles from more socialist
A woman has her eyes scanned while others wait during the Aadhaar registration process in India circa October 2018. Aadhaar produces
identification numbers to individuals issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Government of India for the
purpose of establishing the identity of every single person.
