Data is an essential resource and, in the 21st century, a reusable production factor. The generation, processing, utilisation and transfer of data are – in the words of data geopolitics – inextricably linked to the competitiveness not only of national economies but also of civil societies. Nevertheless, we are still searching for an appropriate and balanced governance framework, with data governance encompassing not only hard but also soft legal regulations. At the same time, data law as a legal area is still in its infancy and has not yet been fully "sounded out"; it is fragmented in terms of existing regulations and recent political efforts.
To emphasise the global nature of data governance, this conference takes a truly global view of data law instruments, whereby the current EU regulations (General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Governance Act and the proposed Data Act and others) are seen as just one of many approaches. Above all, however, the conference is exploring a contextual – and decolonialised comparative-law – approach to data regulation that includes cultural, economic and infrastructural dimensions of data governance whilst connecting perspectives from the Global North and South as well as from liberal and authoritarian environments.
The conference is jointly organised by the Research Centre for Law and Digitalisation (FREDI) at the University of Passau and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. It is the third of a three-part conference series on global data law and part of a wider research agenda on Global Data Law & policy.