Circumventing information silos in the Global South through data commoditization
In the age of AI, the value of humans lies in the data they generate. Social graph, behavior, creation, observations, knowledge, clout. Unfortunately, the concept of data as an asset class emerged from centralized platforms capturing the value of network participants’ data. These platforms pose a threat to privacy, sovereignty and objective innovation, but also hinder general information availability, as incentives for data holders are limited to application utility. In weak-governance countries, with no reliable identity system or trade registry, traditional information infrastructure has failed. Google’s Street View cars don’t come. Logistical and security challenges mean that data is expensive, unreliable and ephemeral. In resource-rich countries, information access constraints nurture discretionary licensing processes, preclude risk management, and obstruct supply chain visibility. Data (or the lack thereof) is in fact the common denominator to most human rights, peace & security, and economic development challenges, for which entire interventions are designed with incomplete knowledge. Recognizing the cost of data collection and reluctance of many actors to publish it, Datastake was formed on the premise that, if it can be harnessed and distributed fairly, the value of data can serve as a financial incentive for transparency. Thus, we develop mechanisms to stimulate localized, structured data supply, and respond to the widest possible range of use cases on the demand side. Knowledge graph technology is used as a data commoditization layer, to extend the value chain of open data, and transform private data into a tradable resource.
Benjamin Clair
Benjamin is the Founder and CEO of Datastake, an ecosystem to expand access to information in weak-governance, stigmatized countries through incentives for standardization. He has 12 years of experience with deploying innovation in resource-rich countries, where data is scarce, databases are siloed, and the need for localized insight is immense -- towards risk management, responsible procurement, impact measurement, verification of charity claims, narrative disintermediation and financial inclusion. Since its launch in 2021, Datastake has developed knowledge management applications used by local cooperatives, businesses and civil society organizations. Datastake applications build upon a common, granular data structure, and focus on protecting the rights of primary information holders. The same knowledge graph structure is used to aggregate available public data. In turn, clients including UN agencies, banks and global NGOs can query available sources information on any given mining site, business, individual or incident in localities not even featured on Google Maps Having started his career in commodities finance, Benjamin subsequently gained in-depth experience in fields as diverse as software development, blockchain solution design, responsible sourcing, international aid, the western gaze and distributed media. He joins us virtually from Portugal.