Indigenous Peoples, Data Sovereignty and Self-Determination: Current Realities and Imperatives

Abstract

This study explores the current state and dynamics of the global Indigenous data sovereignty movement—the movement pressing for Indigenous peoples to have full control over the collection and governance of data relating to their lived realities. The article outlines the movement’s place within the broader push for Indigenous self-determination; examines its links to big data, open data, intellectual property rights, and access and benefit-sharing; details a pioneering assertion of data sovereignty by Canada’s First Nations; outlines relevant UN and international civil society processes; and examines the nascent movement in Africa. The study identifies a fundamental tension between the objectives of Indigenous data sovereignty and those of the open data movement, which does not directly cater for Indigenous peoples’ full control over their data. The study also identifies the need for African Indigenous peoples to become more fully integrated into the global Indigenous data sovereignty movement.

Why community consultation matters in genomic research benefit-sharing models

“…A key aspect of creating a communal-level benefit sharing model for Variant Bio was determining how to afford communities meaningful input into how the money would be spent. This commitment is in keeping with the Indigenous data sovereignty movement's push for agency and self-determination of Indigenous research participants (Oguamanam 2020). Community engagement with local populations around any aspect of research has been shown to engender respectful and ethical relationships at study sites and thereby improve the local relevance of research more broadly (Blacksher et al 2021;Ogunrin et al 2022).…”

IDSov and the silent data revolution: Indigenous Peoples and the decentralized building blocks of web3

“…Big data is the information age's extractive resource industry, facilitating centralized entities' capitalistic and colonial expansion into the digital realm. Professor Chidi Oguamanam defines big data as "massive-volume, high-velocity and high-variety information assets on a scale beyond the capacity of conventional or isolated data processing applications, and convertible into diverse and far-reaching uses by powerfully endowed entities" (Kitchin, 2014;Oguamanam, 2020). The "powerful entities" that own, sell, and analyze big data include the FAAMG giants (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google).…”

Librarians’ role in the preservation and dissemination of indigenous knowledge

“…Reusability documents the need for indigenous knowledge to be well documented and properly licensed, enabling its reuse by others without restrictions. Librarians can ensure that indigenous data is documented comprehensively and that licensing respects indigenous intellectual property rights and community protocols (Oguamanam, 2020). However, it should be noted that it is still difficult to implement the FAIR principles regarding indigenous knowledge acquisition, preservation and dissemination since indigenous knowledge is communally owned, and some indigenous knowledge holders are not willing to document their knowledge, preferring to pass it on orally to the next generation.…”