In partnership with the Aapti Institute, Project Liberty has launched a regional initiative to explore how communities can take greater control over the data they generate – and the role that co-ops can play in this.
Researchers on the work argue that co-operativism – and, specifically, the novel concept of the data co-operative, can offer “pathways to collective ownership of data”.
Project Liberty describes data co-operatives as “technical and institutional layers which mediate data flows between those who generate data and those who use it”.
Data co-ops therefore enable groups of individuals to collectively manage, govern and potentially monetise their data, acting as intermediaries between end users and organisations, it argues.
The institute outlines the concept in much greater detail in its 2025 report, How Can Data Cooperatives Help Build a Fair Data Economy? which explores how co-operative and hybrid approaches are being deployed to help build a data economy centred around people.
Related: As the tech revolution accelerates, Project Liberty calls for mutualised data
“Emerging economies need to ensure that digital transformations do not reduce citizens to users,” said Astha Kapoor, co-founder and director of the Aapti Institute, a public research centre that examines lived experiences at the intersection of technology and society.
“Creating a rights-based digital ecosystem with pathways for negotiation and accountability, and enabling the governance of bottom-up structures such as co-operatives, allows individuals to negotiate power rather than make incremental changes to their online experience.”
As part of the programme, the group is convening policymakers, technologists and community leaders across the region, including in Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta. The aim is to explore practical applications for data co-operatives in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and climate data.
The initiative will also examine how data co-operatives could address growing concerns around data use in AI systems.
The programme will next launch a series of roundtable discussions in Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta, aimed at shaping practical frameworks for data co-operative adoption across the region.
