Linnet Taylor

I research the interface between big data, rights and democratic representation worldwide. My work looks at how people are represented through digital data, and particularly at social and economic inclusion and exclusion through data. I look at these problems in particular environments including the development and humanitarian response sectors, smart cities and living labs, and more broadly in the public sphere in countries worldwide.

I lead the ERC-funded Global Data Justice project, which seeks to identify common understandings amongst people worldwide about what constitutes just treatment in relation to data technologies. The Data Justice team of researchers will conduct fieldwork to understand how people experience the growing role of data as a social and policy tool, whether existing legal and rights systems reflect their understanding of data technologies? risks and benefits, and what governance gaps need to be filled. We aim to compare differing views across regions and cultures, and to draw on these to produce a concept of data justice that can provide the tools for thinking about and governing data technologies as a global phenomenon.