Project Liberty Institute announces the formation of the Fair Data Economy Task Force, a pioneering initiative to accelerate the transition toward a more decentralized and sustainable digital ecosystem. Responding to challenges of data concentration and business models with negative externalities, this Task Force seeks to chart a new course for the global data economy.
The Task Force brings together 18 distinguished leaders from over 10 countries, spanning policy, entrepreneurship, investment, technology, and top economists – including a 2024 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics. Their mission is to articulate a vision for a better data economy and develop concrete action recommendations to realize it.
Tomicah Tillemann, CEO of Project Liberty, highlights the critical nature of this initiative:
“The business model powering the internet is broken. It’s based on aggregating individuals’ private information and using that data to manipulate behavior. We already know that, over the long run, this approach is incompatible with a healthy, vibrant democracy, a dynamic, innovative economy, and the basic exercise of free will. The Fair Data Economy Task Force is developing better alternatives to a status quo that is hurting our communities, competitiveness, and kids. Project Liberty is proud to be working with this extraordinary group of partners to pioneer solutions that provide individuals with more choice, voice, and stake in the way digital platforms operate.”
The Task Force adopts an ecosystem approach, focusing on four essential pillars:
- Entrepreneurship and New Business Models
- Next-Generation Digital Infrastructure
- Policy Innovation and Frameworks
- Strategic Capital Allocation
Paul Fehlinger, Director of Policy, Governance Innovation & Impact, underscores the Task Force’s commitment to actionable outcomes: “Our goal is to move beyond incremental change and develop bold, concrete, and pragmatic solutions that can scale. We’re focusing on the intersection of technology, policy, capital, and entrepreneurship because that’s where transformative change happens. The Fair Data Economy Task Force is not just about envisioning a better future – it’s about creating actionable strategies to build it.”
Their work will feed into the Project Liberty Summit in November 2024 in Washington, DC, where over 400 key stakeholders will discuss their action recommendations.
Jeb Bell, Head of Insights, concludes by stressing the crucial role it plays in advancing Project Liberty Institute’s mission: “The Task Force is set out to shape a positive vision of innovation and an exciting future. We are committed to distilling these insights from ideas to real-world impact.”
We invite stakeholders from all sectors to engage with this important initiative as we work together to create a more equitable and empowering digital future for all.
Fair Data Economy Task Force Members (Read full bios here)
- Daron Acemoglu, Institute Professor, MIT and 2024 Nobel Economics Prize Winner
- Jean-Bertrand Azapmo, Principal Advisor to the African Union Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals
- Linda Bonyo, Founder, Lawyers Hub and Africa LawTech Festival
- Erik Brynjolfsson, Director, Stanford Digital Economy Lab; Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Professor and Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI
- Cristina Caffarra, Co-Founder, CEPR Competition Research Policy Network; Honorary Professor, University College London
- Adriana Groh, Co-Founder, Sovereign Tech Fund
- Sergei Guriev, Dean, London Business School
- Laura Halenius, Director, Fair Data Economy, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
- Miapetra Kumpula-Natri, Member, Finnish Parliament; Former Member, European Parliament
- Ivan de Lastours, Blockchain & Crypto Lead, Bpifrance
- Jens Molbak, CEO and Founder, NewImpact
- Sujith Nair, CEO and Co-founder, FIDE
- Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, HAI Fellow and Digital Platforms and Society Research Lead, Stanford Digital Economy Lab
- Lyel Resner, Head, Public Interest Technology Studio at Cornell Tech
- Paul Samson, President, Centre for International Governance Innovation
- Joachim Schwerin, Principal Economist, Digital Transformation of Industry Unit, DG GROW, European Commission
- Govind Shivkumar, Director, Responsible Technology, Omidyar Network
- Mark Surman, President, Mozilla Foundation
PLI Secretariat of the Task Force:
- Tomicah Tillemann, President
- Jeb Bell, Head of Research & Insights
- Paul Fehlinger, Director of Policy, Governance Innovation & Impact
- Claire McBride, Program Manager, Governance & Research