Data colonialism refers to which phenomenon?

Data colonialism refers to which phenomenon?

• A. The ethical framework for data privacy.
• B. The practice of sharing data openly.
• C. The appropriation of human life into profitable data.
• D. The use of data to improve security.

Answer: (C)

Data colonialism describes how data about people, their lives, and their behaviors are harvested, organized, and turned into assets by powerful actors, often with limited consent or compensation. This mirrors traditional colonial extraction, but in the digital realm: aspects of everyday life are captured and commodified to generate profit and power through data analytics, surveillance, and market control. That’s why the best description is the appropriation of human life into profitable data—turning personal and social information into data commodities. The other options don’t fit: a privacy framework is about guidelines and rights, open data is about sharing rather than exploitation, and using data to improve security focuses on protective or utilitarian aims rather than extraction for profit.

Data colonialism describes how data about people, their lives, and their behaviors are harvested, organized, and turned into assets by powerful actors, often with limited consent or compensation. This mirrors traditional colonial extraction, but in the digital realm: aspects of everyday life are captured and commodified to generate profit and power through data analytics, surveillance, and market control. That’s why the best description is the appropriation of human life into profitable data—turning personal and social information into data commodities. The other options don’t fit: a privacy framework is about guidelines and rights, open data is about sharing rather than exploitation, and using data to improve security focuses on protective or utilitarian aims rather than extraction for profit.