Databite No. 127: Jasmine McNealy

An Ecological Approach to Data Governance: Jasmine McNealy | Moderated by Sareeta Amrute Data are currency. They provide the fuel for both decision-making and profit-making. Data offer evidence for enhancing health services, infrastructure, zoning, and for addressing environmental concerns. But data collection and use is spurring conflicts between cities, corporate and civil society organizations, and constituents on the grounds of of data ownership, access, privacy, and security, spilling into the courts, the media, and public discourse. Dr. McNealy traces these conflicts to our perception of data as a singular piece of property. A better metaphor for data would be that of a networked representation or observation in an ecosystem. Dr. McNealy argues that we require an ecological approach for understanding this era of emergent technology and data–both for creating adequate policy, and for protecting the vulnerable. About the Speaker Jasmine McNealy, a 2018-2019 Data & Society Fellow, is an associate professor at the University of Florida, a fellow at the Stanford University Digital Civil Society Lab, and a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Both an attorney and social scientist, she studies media, information, and emerging technology, with a view toward influencing law and policy. Her current research focuses on privacy, surveillance and data governance with an emphasis on marginalized communities.