Does data deepen democracy?

The relationship between endangerment and empowerment at the grassroots is intricate, and communities often find themselves questioning the authenticity of information, their suspicions heightened by the implications of AI-generated content and algorithm-driven narratives.

The cornerstone of a thriving democracy is trust, both among individuals and within larger institutions. Herein lies the challenge – the widening data divide and the need for solutions to restore trust and reinforce democratic values.

Introducing the data sovereignty movement

There’s a movement taking place across Australia where communities are increasingly using data and analysis to help determine and improve their own futures.

This is the essence of the data sovereignty movement – where more and more communities are calling on governments to release data so they can be empowered to make changes at the local level.

As communities begin to recognise the power data can give them, many in government – including Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers – are beginning to see value in, and actively encourage, more place-based activities and solutions.

The treasurer’s recent Working Future White Paper has highlighted the power of community decision-making and capability-building to support the delivery of effective place-based services. The paper specifically called out the need to build capacity to implement local solutions, including by providing greater access to data to inform local priorities. 

As we are seeing only a fraction of the data that could be provided, it is crucial that more data is shared to strengthen trust between citizens, communities, governments and service providers.

How data sovereignty can work in practice

First Nations people have long governed Indigenous data, as safeguarding information, stories and knowledge is critical for the survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Data plays an important role in supporting self-determination in Bourke, where Maranguka, a model of Indigenous self-governance, is guided by the Bourke Tribal Council.

Here data sovereignty takes the form of data access, control, custodianship, ownership, relevance, storytelling and accountability for First Nations people.

Since 2016, Seer Data and Analytics has worked with grassroots community organisations and First Nations organisations to address the data divide that exists between these communities and governments or businesses, empowering communities with data to make decisions, solve problems and support community-led change.

Our platform enables safe sharing of restricted government and business data with First Nations organisations.