From Spice Routes to Server Routes The Political Economy of Data Extraction Aashima Khan

From Spice Routes to Server Routes: The Political Economy of Data Extraction

Abstract

The paper examines the political economy of data in the global world based on the notion of extraction, whereby the current international circulation of data is structured in ways similar to the colonial period, where there was an imbalance of power during trade between the colonizers and the colonies. Although digital globalization is viewed as smooth and mutually beneficial, the ability of companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon to process data allows for exploitation.

Based on insights gained from the fields of political economy and international trade law, the paper defines “data extraction” as the phenomenon where raw behavioral, cultural, and economic data collected in the Global South is extracted, processed, and monetized in the Global North. These processes have been enabled and exacerbated by digital trade agreements, intellectual property rules, and infrastructural dependence, which include the dominance of cloud storage and platforms in the North. Through the juxtaposition of such trends against historical models of colonization – involving raw material exports and off-shore processing – the paper identifies commonalities as well as differences between the past and present.

Such an analysis is intended to assess whether the existing framework of international law addresses these discrepancies or merely justifies them in the name of “freedom of data transfer and innovation”. The paper will then examine the potential for the nascent field of regulation to rectify this situation without breaking up the internet.

In essence, this paper makes a call for a rethink in the way we govern our global data systems in which the notion of data is to be seen beyond being simply another product for exchange; rather, it needs to be recognized in its own right as an economic justice issue, a sovereignty issue, and a human rights issue.

Keywords: Data extraction, Digital political economy, Platform capitalism, Data sovereignty.