From My Data to Our Data: A Proposal to Equitably Distribute Wealth in a Digital Economy

In the digital economy, user data is typically treated as capital created by corporations observing willing individuals. This neglects users' roles in creating data, reducing incentives for users, distributing the gains from the data economy unequally, and stoking fears of automation. Instead, treating data (at least partially) as labor could help ... See more

One path forward reconceives data about people as a democratic resource. Such proposals view data not as an expression of an inner self subject to private ordering and the individual will, but as a collective resource subject to democratic ordering.

Our thesis is that users will willingly contribute their commerce, device, search, and social media data in exchange for tokens, which serve as both their interest in the data’s aggregate value and their governing power. This data can then be used by hedge funds and other investors to forecast the key performance indicators of public and private co... See more

In the future, the Other Internet also believes we won’t necessarily interact with money as individuals but as collective “wealth squads.” They talk about how fractionalization can create opportunities and group resilience that would previously have been impossible to achieve alone.

These emergent digital economies are facilitating dramatic wealth accumulation for a small few and supplemental earnings for a great many. They are the new ladders and ledges being created to replace the elevators that have been destroyed. They are, however, only accessible to those with the relevant skills and education. Many will be left behind.

-Equity: Companies (Google, Amazon, Facebook) captured value during the internet revolution by controlling and containing the data originating from their platforms

We stand united against the commodification of our digital future, advocating instead for an ecosystem that is imbued with our collective cultural values, desires, and identities.