{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,29]],"date-time":"2026-04-29T09:45:17Z","timestamp":1777455917367,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,7,1]],"date-time":"2023-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1688169600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000780","name":"European Commission","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["823783"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["823783"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000780","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,7]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The extractive logic of Big Data-driven technology and knowledge production has raised serious concerns. While most criticism initially focused on the impacts on Western societies, attention is now increasingly turning to the consequences for communities in the Global South. To date, debates have focused on private-sector activities. In this article, we start from the conviction that publicly funded knowledge and technology production must also be scrutinized for their potential neocolonial entanglements. To this end, we analyze the dynamics of collaboration in an European Union-funded research project that collects data for developing a social platform focused on diversity. The project includes pilot sites in China, Denmark, the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Mexico, Mongolia, and Paraguay. We present the experience at four field sites and reflect on the project\u2019s initial conception, our collaboration, challenges, progress, and results. We then analyze the different experiences in comparison. We conclude that while we have succeeded in finding viable strategies to avoid contributing to the dynamics of unilateral data extraction as one side of the neocolonial circle, it has been infinitely more difficult to break through the much more subtle but no less powerful mechanisms of paternalism that we find to be prevalent in data-driven North\u2013South relations. These mechanisms, however, can be identified as the other side of the neocolonial circle.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/20539517231206802","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,25]],"date-time":"2023-10-25T02:32:07Z","timestamp":1698201127000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["Diversity and neocolonialism in Big Data research: Avoiding extractivism while struggling with paternalism"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2719-9721","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paula","family":"Helm","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7214-5856","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amalia","family":"de G\u00f6tzen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Architecture Design and Media Technology, Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7803-1067","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luca","family":"Cernuzzi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad Catolica Nuestra Senora de la Asunci\u00f3n in Paraguay, Asuncion, Paraguay"}]},{"given":"Alethia","family":"Hume","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad Catolica Nuestra Senora de la Asunci\u00f3n in Paraguay, Asuncion, Paraguay"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1546-0184","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shyam","family":"Diwakar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Amrita Mind Brain Center, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kollam, TN, India"}]},{"given":"Salvador","family":"Ruiz Correa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Potosino de Investigaci\u00f3n Cient\u00edfica y Tecnol\u00f3gica, Potosi, Mexico"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5488-2182","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Gatica-Perez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Idiap Research Institute and Ecole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9rale de Lausanne (EPFL), Martygni, Valais, Switzerland"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/030631270203200502"},{"key":"bibr2-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s41044-016-0002-4"},{"key":"bibr3-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41559-021-01496-y"},{"key":"bibr4-20539517231206802","volume":"10","author":"Arora P","year":"2016","journal-title":"International Journal of Communication"},{"key":"bibr5-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.24908\/ss.v17i5.13307"},{"key":"bibr6-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3544548.3581190"},{"key":"bibr7-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41559-021-01477-1"},{"key":"bibr8-20539517231206802","volume-title":"Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code","author":"Benjamin R","year":"2019"},{"key":"bibr9-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14763\/2019.4.1426"},{"key":"bibr10-20539517231206802","unstructured":"Castells M (2009)\n                      The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture Volume I\n                      . Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-9686-4."},{"key":"bibr11-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/12255.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr12-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9781503609754"},{"key":"bibr13-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951716648346"},{"key":"bibr14-20539517231206802","unstructured":"Daniels J, Nkonde M, Mir D (2019) Advancing racial literacy in tech: Why ethics, diversity in hiring & implicit bias trainings aren\u2019t enough. https:\/\/datasociety.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Racial_Literacy_Tech_Final_0522.pdf"},{"key":"bibr15-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11257-023-09364-z"},{"key":"bibr16-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5840\/monist197256119"},{"key":"bibr17-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14487136.2017.1301016"},{"key":"bibr18-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/9780822371816"},{"key":"bibr19-20539517231206802","unstructured":"European Commission (1999) The EU values. https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/component-library\/eu\/about\/eu-values\/"},{"key":"bibr20-20539517231206802","unstructured":"European Commission (2019) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) \u2013 Official Legal Text. https:\/\/gdpr-info.eu\/."},{"key":"bibr21-20539517231206802","unstructured":"European Commission (2022) The EU\u2019s global approach to research and innovation. https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/RegData\/etudes\/BRIE\/2022\/733550\/EPRS_BRI(2022)733550_EN.pdf"},{"key":"#cr-split#-bibr22-20539517231206802.1","unstructured":"European Parliament (2021) Regulation"},{"key":"#cr-split#-bibr22-20539517231206802.2","unstructured":"(EU) 2021\/695 of the European parliament and of the council, volume 170. http:\/\/data.europa.eu\/eli\/reg\/2021\/695\/oj\/eng"},{"key":"bibr23-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781003129424-17"},{"key":"bibr24-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14487136.2017.1303242"},{"key":"bibr25-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5040\/9781350089563"},{"key":"bibr26-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/3178066"},{"key":"bibr27-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/9780822393849"},{"key":"bibr28-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01064504"},{"key":"bibr29-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3514094.3534149"},{"key":"bibr30-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/dpr.12142"},{"key":"bibr31-20539517231206802","volume-title":"Edge of Empire: Lives, Culture, and Conquest in the East, 1750\u20131850","author":"Jasanoff M","year":"2006"},{"key":"bibr32-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10708-014-9601-7"},{"key":"bibr33-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2056305119863146"},{"key":"bibr34-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/9780262027458.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr35-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3569483"},{"key":"bibr36-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3448120"},{"key":"bibr37-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9781400845064"},{"key":"bibr38-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1527476419837739"},{"key":"bibr39-20539517231206802","volume-title":"On Liberty","author":"Mill JS","year":"1859"},{"key":"bibr40-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/hep.2012.11"},{"key":"bibr41-20539517231206802","unstructured":"Musa M, Rodin J (2016) Scaling Up Social Innovation (SSIR). https:\/\/ssir.org\/articles\/entry\/scaling_up_social_innovation"},{"key":"bibr42-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3139\/9783446431164"},{"key":"bibr43-20539517231206802","first-page":"030631272110489","author":"Pfotenhauer S","year":"2021","journal-title":"Social Studies of Science"},{"key":"bibr44-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1527476419831640"},{"key":"bibr45-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951718820549"},{"key":"bibr46-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/3461702.3462595"},{"key":"bibr47-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02681102.2021.1937473"},{"key":"bibr48-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17547075.2018.1434368"},{"key":"bibr49-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s40656-021-00468-6"},{"key":"bibr50-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.geoforum.2015.07.002"},{"key":"bibr51-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0263775816633195"},{"key":"bibr52-20539517231206802","volume-title":"Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection","author":"Tsing AL","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr53-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/0961754X-1630424"},{"key":"bibr54-20539517231206802","unstructured":"United Nations (2021)\n                      Digital Economy Report 2021: Cross-border data flows and development\n                      . United Nations. ISBN 978-92-1-113022-5."},{"key":"bibr55-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.14763\/2021.4.1602"},{"key":"bibr56-20539517231206802","author":"Vos Ad","year":"2020","journal-title":"Scientific American"},{"key":"bibr57-20539517231206802","unstructured":"Wetzling T, Sarkesian L, Dietrich C (2021) Solving the transatlantic data dilemma. https:\/\/www.stiftung-nv.de\/sites\/default\/files\/snv_solving_the_transatlantic_data_dilemma.pdf"},{"issue":"1","key":"bibr58-20539517231206802","first-page":"1","volume":"48","author":"Zembylas M","year":"2021","journal-title":"Learning, Media and Technology"},{"key":"bibr59-20539517231206802","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/2638728.2638756"}],"container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517231206802","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/20539517231206802","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517231206802","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T13:00:33Z","timestamp":1777381233000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/20539517231206802"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,7]]},"references-count":60,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,7]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/20539517231206802"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/20539517231206802","relation":{},"ISSN":["2053-9517","2053-9517"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2053-9517","type":"print"},{"value":"2053-9517","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,7]]},"article-number":"20539517231206802"}}