Data rights are human rights

by Ashby Hayes

We have only begun to imagine what a Data Bill of Rights might look like. This is our first pass, a short list that has percolated from months of working on Data Justice. It’s not finished and maybe it won’t ever be truly done. If you have ideas on things that should be added here, we’ll be having listening sessions in the coming weeks and conversations with leaders in the Data Justice space in the coming months to collaborate on a Data Bill of Rights that can be used as north star for advocates and lawmakers.

Data that is created by an individual should be owned by the individual who created it.

People should exclusively own the data they create.

People should have the right to monetize their data.

People should have the right to know who has access to their data.

People have the right to know exactly how their data is being used.

People should have the right to know who is making money from their data and how much.

People should have the right to prevent data collection.

People should have the right to delete their data.

Only the person who creates and owns the data should control who has access to their data.

Data should not be transferred, sold, or given to another company, person, or entity with out the express permission of the data owner and creator.

People should be aware of the use of their data by anyone other than themselves or those they have given usage permission to.

People have the right to monetary gains that are made on data used without their permission.

People have the right to control the use of their data.

People should have rights over all forms of data including: content, behavior, location, health, DNA, demographics, health, relationships, and any other information created by or associated with an individual human being.

Our data is part of our identity. We should own it. We should control it. We should decide who we are and what we want. Not companies or advertisers or political candidates. Learn more about Data Justice.