IGF 2023 Town Hall #91 Dare to Share: Rebuilding Trust Through Data Stewardship

For many countries, data in its abundance, is treated as more of a concern than as a powerful enabler. Overwhelmed by their share of the exponentially increasing 2.5 quintillion bytes of daily data, uncertain about conflicting global regulations and swayed by partial narratives such as equating data with oil, both established and emerging digital economies continue to focus their efforts on “data sovereignty” and “data control” (usually translated in practice through data localisation laws) as opposed to pushing for effective data governance for the benefit of all. We believe that to reset the agenda, build trust and unlock the value of data, our expanding data ecosystems require a renewed institutional capacity which forges a symbiotic relationship between well-established entities in charge of safeguarding individuals' rights such as data protection authorities and emerging bottom-up data institutions like data trusts, data intermediaries and data commons that aim to steward data on behalf of others towards public, educational or charitable aims. Drawing on their current research and their different regional perspectives, the speakers will discuss the distinct but complementary roles of such institutions as well as the opportunities and the challenges of building through practice this new institutional landscape. In particular we intend to discuss the following policy questions: 1) What should be the respective roles of data governance stakeholders into promoting responsible data sharing (e.g. in stimulating experimentation and innovation in data governance design, monitoring and evaluating different data governance approaches)? 2) How different regulators could/should approach challenges related to data sharing? 3) Which new institutional models are best suited to support innovation around data while at the same time ensuring the protection of fundamental rights such as privacy? Participants can expect to gain valuable insights into the roles of different data governance stakeholders in promoting responsible practices, stimulating innovation in data governance design, and evaluating diverse approaches. This knowledge will assist them in developing policies and frameworks that strike a balance between innovation around data (both institutional and technological) and fundamental rights.

During the discussion, we will ensure that both onsite and online speakers have equal opportunities to contribute and will alternate between onsite and online panellists' interventions. The speakers will prepare 3 Power Point slides each and deliver a contextual 6 minute presentation addressing the policy questions mentioned in the description. Online participants will be able to access the session via Zoom. At the beginning of the session the moderator will introduce the discussion topic with the help of the Data Sharing Map prepared by the Open Data Institute. We will show the map on screen and also provide the relevant link (https://stroly.com/viewer/1563975134?zoom=3). We will use Slido as part of the session to do pools on different questions (e.g. Have you ever heard of data institutions?) to encourage reactions and participation from all attendees. To facilitate interaction between onsite and online participants, we will also have an onsite and online co-moderator.The former will manage interactions among the panellists and onsite audience, while the online moderator will oversee and pick up online comments and questions for the discussion. We would like to stress that our goal for this round table is to not only foster insightful discussions but also contribute to the consolidation of a vibrant global community of data intermediaries, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing, and collective efforts in managing the data landscape responsibly.