Image courtesy of Giovana Fleck.

For the last year, the Civic Media Observatory (CMO) has developed a research project to understand and analyze the discourse on data used for governance, control, and policy in El Salvador, Brazil, Turkey, Sudan, and India. The Data Narratives Observatory concludes with a session in partnership with Connected by Data, an organization working to include communities at the center of data narratives, practices, and policies.

What does data governance mean to you? With that question in mind, we will discuss on September 30 (1 pm UTC / 2 pm London / 9 am Washington) what makes data governance relevant when it comes to its impact on people’s lives. The discussion will primarily take place in English.

Connected Conversations is a series of informal, virtual discussion sessions focused on the principles of collective, democratic, participatory, and deliberative data governance. These events aim to explore and deepen understanding of how data can be managed and governed in a way that includes diverse perspectives and promotes shared decision-making.

According to our research, in Sudan, activists and researchers see data governance as the regulations and practices that manage data, with a strong focus on responsible handling to prioritize the well-being of people. Brazil’s regulatory approach acknowledges the complexity and scope of data governance, viewing it as both political and multifaceted. In El Salvador, it is seen as a legal framework centered on data protection, privacy, integrity, and authenticity, especially in relation to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency regulation. India approaches data governance in layers, addressing data protection, security, and online content governance, recognizing the significant influence of Big Tech in these areas. In Turkey, data governance is viewed as part of digital governance, connected to internet and information governance, but it faces challenges in definition due to overlapping and broad terms.

In this Connected Conversation, we will ask what these ground-up perspectives might mean for global campaigns on data governance, exploring how the findings from the Civic Media Observatory support or challenge existing advocacy for collective and community-driven data governance.