From Privacy to Shared Value: Data as a Field of Collective Action

The paper argues that the prevailing privacy-centred par­adigm shaped by regimes such as the GDPR prevents us from treating data as a source of collective claims and value redistribution. It calls for a shift from individual protection to collective data governance, where data becomes a field of negotiation and organising. Three vectors are discussed: (1) data unions and data intermediaries as institutions of representation, (2) trade unions as potential data brokers both at and beyond the workplace, and (3) new repertoires of collective agency, including the data strike. The paper also identifies structural obstacles (lack of place, owner­ship and language) that hinder the politicisation of data and proposes minimal institutional footholds: data clauses in collective agreements, algorithmic audits, data steward­ship, and mechanisms for sharing data-generated value. The conclusion outlines avenues for further research: legal feasibility of co-administration, methods to measure the contribution of data to value creation, and inclusion risks in the “socialisation” of data.

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