Data Colonialism in Science: A New Form of Epistemic Domination

By Fabiano Couto Corrêa da Silva

Introduction

Image: Adrien via Unsplash.

The question “Who controls your data?”, title of the e-book, Quem controla seus dados?,¹ that inspires this post, has become one of the most urgent issues in contemporary science. Far from a mere technical detail, the governance of the data we produce, collect and analyze defines new frontiers of power, sovereignty and the very production of knowledge. In this context, a key concept emerges to understand today’s dynamics: data colonialism.

This phenomenon, which has deep parallels with historical colonialism, describes a new global order based on the appropriation and extraction of data as raw material, generating profound asymmetries between those who control infrastructures and those who are, essentially, sources of data. For the scientific community, especially in venues such as the SciELO network, which strives for the democratization and decolonization of knowledge, understanding and confronting this challenge is an urgent task.

From Territorial Colonies to Data Colonies: a historical parallel

Historical colonialism was not based only on military and economic domination, but fundamentally on the control of information. Maps, censuses and ethnographic records were essential tools to administer territories and populations, imposing an external logic on local realities.

Today we witness an analogous process, but at an unprecedented scale and intensity. What is extracted is no longer natural resources but life itself, systematically converted into data (datafication). As the e-book notes, “we live in a singular historical moment in which the very nature of human existence is being reconfigured by datafication processes that reach the most intimate aspects of everyday life.”¹

If colonial censuses were periodic and limited, digital collection is continuous and ubiquitous, operating 24/7 through digital platforms, social networks and smart devices. Large technology corporations (Big Tech) take on the role of new metropoles, concentrating the power to collect, process and monetize this data, while individuals and communities—especially in the Global South—become sources of digital raw material, rarely controlling or benefiting from the results of this extraction.

Manifestations of Data Colonialism in Scientific Production

In science, this phenomenon takes concrete and troubling forms, threatening the ideals of a global and equitable scientific community:

• Appropriation of research data: Academic platforms and commercial publishers, many headquartered in the Global North, centralize a massive volume of articles, citation data and impact metrics. This data, produced by researchers around the world, is then monetized through subscriptions, analytical tools and services, without the original producers (authors, institutions and funders) participating in the profits or in governance.
• Inequalities in data infrastructure: The ability to store, process and analyze large volumes of data (Big Data) requires computational and financial resources concentrated in a few institutions and countries. Researchers in the Global South often face barriers to accessing these infrastructures, limiting their ability to compete in data-intensive fields such as genomics, climatology and artificial intelligence.
• Technological and epistemic dependence: Dependence on software, algorithms and platforms developed in the Global North is not neutral. These tools carry logics, biases and assumptions that standardize how science is done, marginalizing local epistemologies and methodologies. The research agenda ends up shaped by interests and the technologies available—not necessarily by local needs.

Dimensions of the Problem

Data colonialism in science is not a one-dimensional problem. It unfolds across multiple interdependent spheres:

• Economic dimension: Turning scientific data into economic assets creates an unequal market in which value is extracted from many and accumulated by
• Epistemic dimension: The imposition of standards and algorithmic logics threatens knowledge diversity, promoting homogenization that silences plural ways of knowing.
• Political dimension: Losing control over research data is a direct threat to scientific sovereignty and to nations’ autonomy to define their own research and development priorities.

Conclusion: Toward Data Sovereignty in Science

Confronting data colonialism requires more than criticizing existing asymmetries. We must build concrete alternatives. The urgency of this debate lies in the need to develop policies and infrastructures that ensure sovereignty over scientific data, allowing researchers, institutions and communities to maintain control over their information and benefit from the knowledge generated from it. This is a fundamental step toward building a truly global, open and just scientific ecosystem.

The question “Who controls your data?” is not rhetorical but a call to action for the scientific community—especially in the Global South—to reclaim its right to epistemic autonomy and informational sovereignty. Only then can we move toward a science that is genuinely democratic and decolonized.

Posts of the series about the Quem controla seus dados? book

• Data Colonialism in Science: A New Form of Epistemic Domination
• Open Science between Promises and Paradoxes, democratization or new dependency?
  
• Scientific Integrity in the Age of AI: fraud, manipulation, and new transparency challenges
  
• Scientific Data Sovereignty in the tension between global openness and local autonomy

Note

1. SILVA, F.C.C. Quem controla seus dados? Ciência Aberta, Colonialismo de Dados e Soberania na era da Inteligência Artificial e do Big Data. São Paulo: Pimenta Cultural, 2025 [viewed 07 November 2025]. https://doi.org/10.31560/pimentacultural/978-85-7221-474-2. Available from: https://www.pimentacultural.com/livro/quem-controla-dados/ ↩

Reference

SILVA, F.C.C. Quem controla seus dados? Ciência Aberta, Colonialismo de Dados e Soberania na era da Inteligência Artificial e do Big Data. São Paulo: Pimenta Cultural, 2025 [viewed 07 November 2025]. https://doi.org/10.31560/pimentacultural/978-85-7221-474-2. Available from: https://www.pimentacultural.com/livro/quem-controla-dados/

About Fabiano Couto Corrêa da Silva

Fabiano Couto Corrêa da Silva is a researcher in Information Science focusing on open science, data colonialism and informational sovereignty. He works at the intersection of post-colonial studies, critical information theory and data governance. He is the author of Quem controla seus dados? Ciência Aberta, Colonialismo de Dados e Soberania na era da Inteligência Artificial e do Big Data (Pimenta Cultural, 2025). His work examines power asymmetries in scholarly communication and proposes pathways toward a fairer, more democratic science. He leads DataLab (Laboratory for Data, Institutional Metrics and Scientific Reproducibility), with an emphasis on FAIR/CARE.

Translated from the original in Portuguese by Fabiano Couto Corrêa da Silva.