Data Cartels

Data has become a form of power online, and a handful of firms control much of the information that matters most. Sarah Lamdan explores the largely unregulated world of what she calls "data cartels." These companies often present themselves as analytics providers or business service vendors, yet they mine, package, and sell personal and informational resources in ways that deepen social inequality and weaken the democratic sharing of knowledge.

Because these firms supply much of the infrastructure that the internet runs on, they can restrict the flow of information, exploit outdated privacy statutes, and shape what appears online. The result can amplify digital racism and single out marginalized communities. They can also pass private information along to predatory actors. All of this, Lamdan points out, is legal.

Lamdan argues that a preference for private markets, along with the idea that technology deserves special treatment, has kept effective legal regulation from taking hold. That gap has let a few oversized information oligopolies consolidate. She proposes specific legal and market-based remedies, treating information as a public good, and building digital infrastructure that supports democratic ideals.