Data Should Benefit Society, Says Political Scientist Barbara Prainsack

Political scientist Barbara Prainsack argues that society should also benefit from the profits generated by data utilization, challenging the notion that data is a passive resource like oil. She observes a growing societal consciousness regarding data, with more justice-related questions being raised. This is evident in the resistance emerging against the construction of new data centers.

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Many think of data like oil, which is just there – but we generate it together.

Prainsack notes that many people feel detached from data issues, viewing it as a technical matter beyond their control, with large corporations inevitably managing it. However, in her new book, "Datenschlussverkauf" (Data Sell-off), she presents a counter-argument and outlines a path toward "data solidarity."

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For example, there is resistance against data centers that are to be built.

This concept of data solidarity, as described by Prainsack, would involve making certain data, such as health information, more readily accessible to benefit society as a whole. Prainsack, who has long studied solidarity across various life domains, discussed the future of healthcare systems and how society can leverage the value of data in an interview with Der Standard.

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Many people are of the opinion, 'Data, that's something technical, it doesn't really concern me.'

She also commented on the "symbolically important effect" of Austria's social media ban, suggesting it could foster a greater sense of collective responsibility and fairness in how data is handled and utilized.

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You can't do anything anyway, these big corporations control it anyway.