ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ways in which electronic and online data is collected about users in a variety of settings. It examines data protection through regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation and the harvest and use of data within Adtech, this being tools and software for advertising. Wider questions are raised about who owns certain electronic data, including examples from the animal and human world and even considering military applications. The role of artificial intelligence and its data-hungry requirements are discussed, contrasting the rapid push for automation with the subsequent risks for people’s data privacy. Finally, the chapter considers a range of data governance structures like data cooperatives and knowledge commons being trialled and implemented in order to combat some of the issues arising from this collecting of data.
