Data agency and sovereignty

This chapter is aimed at presenting two-core elements of the world of data, one at an individual level and the other, at the collective level. In the first unit, we will review the concepts and skills needed to enable personal data agency, which can be understood as the individual’s ability to understand and challenge the data collected about him/her. By doing so, he/she will be able to make informed decisions about his/her data through understanding the legal landscape of data protection and data rights.

This will allow individuals to curate and control their (personal) data. To do this we need to gain knowledge of these data driven systems, being able to identify them as well as understanding how they operate. In the second unit, we will present the key elements and principles of indigenous data sovereignty (ID-SOV). This is a relatively recent concept that can be understood as the right of indigenous peoples to own, control, access and possess data that derive from their needs and social reality. This is grounded on the rights to self-determination and governance as affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).