Data is now one of the world’s most precious commodities. Data used by individuals, businesses and governments are produced and shared via internet-based tools and platforms, which means the use of data is largely driven by internet access. From 2010 to 2020, the amount of data created, captured, copied, and consumed in the world increased from 1.2 trillion gigabytes to 59 trillion gigabytes, an almost 5,000% growth, thanks to improvements in internet connectivity and widespread use of devices.

However, despite the increasing relevance of data and internet access, their governance continues to be the subject of intense debate. Key questions include how to reduce inequalities in data and internet access, what happens in the coming years if these inequalities remain unaddressed, and how data can be used in a safe and secure way in policy environments.

 

Major inequities in the ability to produce, utilise, and profit from data can be found across developed, developing and least developed countries (LDCs), primarily due to disparities in internet connectivity. According to the Alliance for Affordable Internet, 2.3 billion people or one-third of the global population live in countries where the average cost of 1GB of internet access is 14.8% of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. Internet users in countries such as the LDC Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic and Haiti are obliged to pay almost half of their monthly income if they want to be connected and have access to data sources. However, internet affordability is better in better in some LDC countries like Cambodia, where 1GB costs less than 2% of GNI per capita.

 

Given that the future of work is digital and most forms of employment will require uninterrupted access to the internet, these inequalities can leave behind entire economies in the absence of robust policy measures. In addition, countries with lower levels of data and internet access, particularly the LDCs, will not be able to utilise the potential of machine learning and other digital innovations, which in turn, will reduce their ability to be competitive on a global stage.

 

Can lack of data hamper policymaking?

 

In response to the question of how LDCs can participate in the digital revolution effectively, the World Bank’s World Development Report 2021 examines the relationship between access to data and governance. Furthermore, it provides policymakers with a framework to think through the issues, opportunities, and trade-offs of utilising big data and connectivity on a global scale.

 

The World Bank’s research highlights that the perspective of Less Developed Countries (LDCs) has so far been largely absent from these debates. For example, the World Bank estimates that less than 20% of low and middle-income countries have modern data infrastructure. Combined with weak internet access, these disparities can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of governance systems in these countries. For example, without software platforms that can analyse the large amounts of data collected from residents, governments will be unable to accurately track public finances, report on external debt, or monitor their development goals. In addition, without access to such data or the internet, citizens will not be able to hold governments accountable or track their progress.  

 

The World Development Report finds that for data and connectivity to realise their true potential in transforming lives, governance on national and international levels must be reviewed. The report calls for a new social contract for data - one that enables the use of data and connectivity to create economic and social value, promote equitable opportunities, and foster citizens’ trust. Assembling such an agreement would allow LDCs disadvantaged by the lack of infrastructure, poor internet access and technical skills to capture data, and use them to generate added-value, participate equitably in global data markets, and bolster data and internet governance models.

 

The World Bank report cites a number of other elements that must be considered in order for data and connectivity to be inclusive, sustainable and beneficial to the many, not the few. These elements include;

 

1. Increase data usage to realise greater value: Combining technological innovations with traditional sources such as censuses, national surveys, government administrative data, and data produced by civil society organisations could help provide timelier and finer-scale assessments of programs and policies and serve public policy need – plugging current gaps in service provision. If governments better understood what their residents needed, the policies designed would be fit for purpose and help the economy thrive instead of continuing to fight for survival.

 

2. Foster trust through safeguards: The more data collected, the greater is the risk of data misuse. From cybercrime to discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, race, gender, disability status, or sexual orientation by algorithms, it is critical that adequate regulations of personal data grounded in a human rights framework are developed to a global standard. These regulations must be supported by policies that secure people, data, and internet platforms on which they depend. 

 

3. An Integrated National Data System (INDS): An INDS is a data governance framework to produce, protect and process data. It uses data to make planning and decision-making fair by actively integrating the various stakeholders into the data life cycle. However, achieving a well-functioning INDS requires investment, uninterrupted internet access, and incentives to produce, protect, and share data to improve data governance as well as data literacy of all countries.