What Helps? | Understanding Needs and the Ecosystem for Support

This study is part of a collaborative research series for Mozilla's Data Futures Lab. It explores how power can be shifted through data governance. Learn with us about the ideas, risks and opportunities of this new innovation landscape for the internet.

This research centers around conversations with the allies of data stewardship projects, who we call supporting entities. We examine how existing supporting entities operate, and where builders and their allies note gaps in the field and opportunities for further support. This report describes the current ecosystem (“Who is building the field?”), what people need from data governance (“Who needs this and why?”), and recommendations for Mozilla's Data Futures Lab to support the field (“How can the Data Futures Lab help?”).

Supporting entities like the Data Futures Lab can use the frameworks laid out in this report to guide further dialogue about how projects are being implemented around alternative data governance. Ultimately this high level view should inform the values that the Data Futures Lab chooses to uphold in the process of ensuring that alternative data governance projects rebalance power and protect people's rights against harmful data extraction.

The database of supporting entities can be found at: https://airtable.com/shrn9jnFOQByon2i7/tblIA0gy7bodNtfsq/viwNfSZRECINaM7ne?blocks=hide