Ulises Ali Mejias and Nick Couldry, "Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back" (U Chicago Press, 2024)
New Books in Critical Theory
Deep Dive
What is the central argument of 'Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight Back'?
The book argues that the extraction and exploitation of personal data by Big Tech companies is a form of modern colonialism, where data is treated as a resource to be extracted for profit and social control, mirroring historical colonial practices.
What types of information are Big Tech companies collecting from individuals?
Companies collect a vast array of personal data, including emails, online shopping habits, location data, health information, and even data from smart devices like cars, which track driving habits and other activities.
How does the gig economy fit into the concept of data colonialism?
The gig economy operates on data territories, where platforms like Uber and Lyft exploit workers by algorithmically reducing wages and increasing prices for users, while maintaining absolute control over the labor process through surveillance and data collection.
What are the four X's of colonialism, and how do they apply to data colonialism?
The four X's—explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate—originate from a strategy game but reflect historical colonial practices. In data colonialism, these stages translate to exploring and expanding data territories, exploiting data for profit, and erasing previous ways of living through technological control.
What is the concept of 'data territory' in the context of data colonialism?
Data territory refers to the spaces created by platforms and software that capture and control data, giving the owners of these territories absolute power over the data and the activities conducted within them, much like colonial land ownership.
How does AI contribute to data colonialism in education?
AI, such as ChatGPT, is redefining knowledge and expertise in education, often without consulting educators or students. It imposes a new standard of learning that erases previous methods and replaces them with algorithmic assessments, leading to a loss of critical thinking and knowledge retention.
What are the early warning signs of the dangers of AI and data colonialism?
Early warning signs include the environmental costs of data centers, the biases built into AI systems, and the exploitation of low-wage workers in the global south who train AI algorithms, often without their consent or fair compensation.
Who are the members of the new data colonial class?
The data colonial class includes big tech companies like Google and Facebook, data brokers, manufacturers of smart devices, and individuals like Elon Musk and Ton Tatt, who exploit data for profit and control, often in ways that align with colonial practices.
How can individuals and activists resist data colonialism?
Resistance involves imagining a different future, working within the system to push for regulations, working against the system through protests and activism, and working beyond the system to create alternative models that decolonize data and reclaim control over personal information.
What are Ulises Mejias and Nick Couldry currently working on after 'Data Grab'?
They are continuing their work on AI, social media, and education, focusing on decolonizing data and building networks for resistance, such as Tierra Común, a trilingual platform for activists in Latin America and beyond.
- Tech companies collect immense amounts of personal data through various online and offline interactions.
- This data collection is intentional and fuels a growing industry.
- Data is used in various contexts beyond its initial collection, impacting insurance, health, education, and even warfare.
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