Data-Owning Democracy: Citizen Empowerment through Data Ownership
Journal
European Journal of Political Theory
ISSN
1474-8851
ISSN-Digital
1741-2730
Type
forthcoming
Date Issued
2022
Author(s)
Abstract (De)
This article extends property-owning democracy to the digital realm and
introduces “data-owning democracy”, a new political economic regime
characterized by the wide distribution of data as capital among citizens.
Drawing on republican theory and acknowledging data’s unique role in
the digital economy, it proposes a two-tier model that combines different
modes of data ownership and corresponding rights. The first layer of
“data-owning democracy” is characterized by a digital public
infrastructure that enables citizens to collectively generate data and have
a say in how their citizen data are used. In the second layer, individuals
automatically receive machine-readable copies of their data whenever
they are generated - a slightly more advanced form of the European
Union’s existing right to data portability (Art. 20). With its focus on
empowerment, data-owning democracy is designed to be
complementary to existing data protection regulations. It also illustrates
how political theory more broadly, and republican theory specifically, can
be instructive for specifying the normative components of a new political
economy dealing with questions of empowerment and digital rights.
introduces “data-owning democracy”, a new political economic regime
characterized by the wide distribution of data as capital among citizens.
Drawing on republican theory and acknowledging data’s unique role in
the digital economy, it proposes a two-tier model that combines different
modes of data ownership and corresponding rights. The first layer of
“data-owning democracy” is characterized by a digital public
infrastructure that enables citizens to collectively generate data and have
a say in how their citizen data are used. In the second layer, individuals
automatically receive machine-readable copies of their data whenever
they are generated - a slightly more advanced form of the European
Union’s existing right to data portability (Art. 20). With its focus on
empowerment, data-owning democracy is designed to be
complementary to existing data protection regulations. It also illustrates
how political theory more broadly, and republican theory specifically, can
be instructive for specifying the normative components of a new political
economy dealing with questions of empowerment and digital rights.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
SAGE
Official URL
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
266478