A MONETIZATION OF PERSONAL DATA: DATA SOVEREIGNTY OR COLONIALISM?

SOBERANIA OU COLONIALISMO DE DADOS?

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the correlation between the ills generated by data colonialism, the widespread monetization of personal information through digital platforms, and the creation of data sovereignty, which allows for greater empowerment of individuals. Based on the recognition that the 21st century is founded on a digital economy and structured around the collection, processing, and commercialization of data, it is argued that this model reproduces historical asymmetries of a colonial nature, resulting in the violation of privacy, freedom, and, fundamentally, individual autonomy. It is observed that this new informational order is configured as a new form of power, demanding a new archaeology of knowledge to uncover how individuals will be able to resist this pervasive power. In the current context, digital platforms transform subjects into objects, converting freedom into a logic of permanent performance, in a system in which transparency becomes self-exploitation and voluntary surveillance. The central hypothesis of the research is to analyze whether a proposal for data sovereignty would prove sufficient to address this informational colonialism, given that it remains structured around solutions that do not question the economic foundations of the current model and in light of the vulnerability of individuals. Therefore, it proposes to seek alternatives for informational governance by analyzing data sovereignty as an option. The methodology adopted is qualitative, with a theoretical-critical approach. The investigation will be conducted through an interdisciplinary literature review.