Access Rules
Freeing Data from Big Tech for a Better Future
by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger; Thomas Ramge
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Pub Date Apr 26 2022 | Archive Date Nov 01 2022
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Description
Information is power, and the time is now for digital liberation. Access Rules mounts a strong and hopeful argument for how informational tools at present in the hands of a few could instead become empowering machines for everyone. By forcing data-hoarding companies to open access to their data, we can reinvigorate both our economy and our society. Authors Viktor Mayer-Schönberger and Thomas Ramge contend that if we disrupt monopoly power and create a level playing field, digital innovations can emerge to benefit us all.
Over the past twenty years, Big Tech has managed to centralize the most relevant data on their servers, as data has become the most important raw material for innovation. However, dominant oligopolists like Facebook, Amazon, and Google, in contrast with their reputation as digital pioneers, are actually slowing down innovation and progress by withholding data for the benefit of their shareholders––at the expense of customers, the economy, and society. As Access Rules compellingly argues, ultimately it is up to us to force information giants, wherever they are located, to open their treasure troves of data to others. In order for us to limit global warming, contain a virus like COVID-19, or successfully fight poverty, everyone—including citizens and scientists, start-ups and established companies, as well as the public sector and NGOs—must have access to data. When everyone has access to the informational riches of the data age, the nature of digital power will change. Information technology will find its way back to its original purpose: empowering all of us to use information so we can thrive as individuals and as societies.
Advance Praise
"Openness is the absolute key to innovation. Read this book on how to kick-start data-driven innovation and rein in Big Tech monopolies."—Katharina Borchert, former Chief Innovation Officer at Mozilla and Cofounder of Equilibrio
"Access Rules is a manifesto for mandating broad access to data—or open data. Freeing data from today’s digital monopolies, the authors argue, will increase transparency, empower small producers, and accelerate innovation. This powerful vision deserves the attention of scholars, policymakers, and anyone interested in democratizing access to information."—AnnaLee Saxenian, Professor, School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley
"Highly readable, engaging, and important, Access Rules explores why we need to compel tech giants to make the data they collect freely available. A must-read for anyone wanting to understand the future of the global information economy."—Beth Simone Noveck, Director, The Governance Lab
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9780520387737 |
PRICE | $24.95 (USD) |
PAGES | 200 |