In a world where data is often misused and sold to the highest bidder, Mozilla is working to change the game with organisations that prioritize transparency, trust and create value for and accountability to the people and communities reflected in the data.
When we launched the Data Futures Lab in 2020 our goal was to connect and fund people around the world who are building products and services that aim to disrupt our extractive data economy. Our mission is to ensure that, in an increasingly data-driven world, the rights and interests of the people and communities from which data is harnessed are protected and prioritized.
The Data Futures Lab awardees we’re announcing today will receive up to $100,000 USD each, access to Mozilla Fellows, a network of experts and peers, and support to implement specific user-centric data governance features, policies, and practices.
“These projects will pilot new models for data stewardship with existing communities and provide real-world examples of how users and communities can be given greater ownership and control over their own data,” says Mehan Jayasuriya, Senior Program Officer at Mozilla.
These projects will pilot new models for data stewardship with existing communities and provide real-world examples of how users and communities can be given greater ownership and control over their own data
Mehan Jayasuriya, Senior Program Officer at Mozilla
Meet the awardees:
PLACE | Washington, D.C.
Place Trust is a non-profit organization on a mission to map the urban world in “ultra-high resolution and make these maps open, reliable and accessible and place them in a perpetual legal trust in the public interest”. Currently, all value in mapping data is in the hands of large tech companies. PLACE provides an opportunity for large data sets to be pooled from mapping datasets produced by local governments and organizations.
Driver’s Seat Cooperative | Portland, Ore.
Driver’s Seat is a cooperative owned by rideshare and delivery drivers trying to “level the playing field in the gig economy”. With drivers themselves at the forefront of the organisation, the mobile app and website they use collects data and shares insights that will allow them to make more money and have more control over their work. Their mission is to transform the gig economy through shared data ownership.
Drivers Coop | New York City
Driver’s Coop is also a cooperatively owned rideshare app, based in New York City. With over 5,000 drivers and 40,000 riders already using the app, this coop is working to revolutionize the rideshare industry through worker ownership. With the hope to launch an open-source app that allows drivers to create their own platforms around the world, Drivers Coop is looking to really transform the rideshare space and to provide alternatives to the more mainstream platforms.
Digital Democracy | San Francisco
Digital Democracy works with local communities and individuals around the world to collect and share evidence of human and environmental rights abuses through an app called Mapeo. Because the app is decentralized and internet-independent, peer-to-peer synchronization has often been a bug-bear for users. Through this award, they plan to improve on the UX features of the database and to develop new models for managing access to the data. This app seeks to empower frontline defenders and marginalized communities globally.
Learn more about these and other projects that are re-imagining our data economy at MozFest starting March 7.
