Ensuring Data Science and Its Applications Benefit Humanity: Data Monetization and the Right to Science

Abstract This paper analyses the human right to science (RtS) in relation to data science (DS) and its applications, particularly, data monetization. It advances an approach that balances three aspects of RtS, namely, protection from harmful science, benefit-sharing and participation in science and derives three corresponding sets of state duties. First, RtS implies the duty to end data monetization in so far as it entails practices harmful to human rights, including unlawful interference with privacy. Second, while data monetization exists, RtS entails the duty to distribute monetary benefits through an RtS-based universal basic income (UBI). Third, RtS entails the duty to facilitate ordinary people’s participation in DS and prioritize non-profit pro-social uses of DS as in citizen or community DS. The proposed RtS analysis of DS engages policy responses to artificial intelligence (AI) and material inequality, namely, AI regulation, monetary benefits from data, UBI and the ‘data for good’ movement. No new data were generated or analysed in support of this research.