Category: Data Governance

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Could a Global “Wicked Problems Agency” Incentivize Data Sharing?

Could a Global “Wicked Problems Agency” Incentivize Data Sharing?

Global data sharing could help solve “wicked” problems (problems such as climate change, terrorism and global poverty that no one knows how to solve without creating further problems). There is no one or best way to address wicked problems because they have many different causes and manifest in different contexts. By mixing vast troves of data, policy makers and researchers may find new insights and strategies to address these complex problems. National and international government agencies and large corporations generally control the use of such data, and the world has made little progress in encouraging cross-sectoral and international data sharing. This paper proposes a new international cloud-based organization, the “Wicked Problems Agency,” to catalyze both data sharing and data analysis in the interest of mitigating wicked problems. This organization would work to prod societal entities — firms, individuals, civil society groups and governments — to share and analyze various types of data. The Wicked Problems Agency could provide a practical example of how data sharing can yield both economic and public good benefits.

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A Future Built on Data: Data Strategies, Competitive Advantage and Trust

In the twenty-first century, data became the subject of national strategy. This paper examines these visions and strategies to better understand what policy makers hope to achieve. Data is different from other inputs: it is plentiful, easy to use and can be utilized and shared by many different people without being used up. Moreover, data can be simultaneously a commercial asset and a public good. Various types of data can be analyzed to create new products and services or to mitigate complex “wicked” problems that transcend generations and nations (a public good function). However, an economy built on data analysis also brings problems — firms and governments can manipulate or misuse personal data, and in so doing undermine human autonomy and human rights. Given the complicated nature of data and its various types (for example, personal, proprietary, public, and so on), a growing number of governments have decided to outline how they see data’s role in the economy and polity. While it is too early to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies, policy makers increasingly recognize that if they want to build their country’s future on data, they must also focus on trust.

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Data is disruptive: How data sovereignty is challenging data governance

Data is disruptive: How data sovereignty is challenging data governance

The vision of data control, or restricting cross-border data flows, as a means of protecting personal data is disruptive and inaccurate. Whether held by the public or private sector, societies benefit the most when large inventories of data are used, shared, and crossed with other sets of data.

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Transatlantic Priorities: Data Governance

Transatlantic Priorities: Data Governance featured

On January 6, 2021, with the siege of the US Capitol, the world saw the direct and indirect effects of a man and a party willing to move fast and break democracy and global political stability. While we may be slow learners, this lesson will likely push America and Europe closer together. We have been reminded that our democracy is fragile, and we need our allies to help protect it. Throughout disruption, our allies have stood by and encouraged a return to normalcy, e.g. competition and collaboration. But while we may share many norms and objectives, the US and the EU do not share approaches to data governance. Some have even argued that the US, EU, and China are creating separate data realms.

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Recent Publications

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Data Is Divisive: A History of Public Communications on E-commerce, 1998–2020

Data Is Divisive: A History of Public Communications on E-commerce, 1998–2020 featured

For 22 years, the members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have been discussing how to govern e-commerce and the data that underpins it. In 2019, some 74 (now 86) nations began to negotiate e-commerce. These talks are conducted in secret and little is known about how they are progressing. However, WTO members issued a wide range of public comments on both the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce and the Joint Statement Initiative on Electronic Commerce from 1998, when the work program began, to the present. These communications provide context as well as a window into the negotiations.

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Recent Publications

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Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves

Data Is Dangerous: Comparing the Risks That the United States, Canada and Germany See in Data Troves featured

From posting photos and videos to tracking physical activity, apps can do almost anything, but while they may seem like harmless fun, they may also pose a threat to personal data and national security. This paper compares the different responses of the United States, Canada and Germany to data risks posed by popular apps such as FaceApp, Facebook, Strava, TikTok and ToTok. These apps and many others store troves of personal data that can be hacked and misused, putting users (and the countries in which they live) at risk.

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Recent Publications

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