Data about people is often co-produced (second parties)

Sometimes we capture data about our lives ourselves. I buy a camera and use it to take snaps, so nobody else is involved. At other times, data is “co-produced”. My financial transactions going through my bank are a co-production between my spending activity and my bank’s ability to capture and store that.

In these cases, whereas an individual has a special first-party relationship with data referring to them, there is also a second party with a special interest: the co-producer, who is often custodian, user, steward, or enabler of data about me.

How well the commons works will be judged by how well these co-production relationships and interests can be managed.

This means that, for example, although I have a right to forget, my bank may be required by law to hold financial data for the tax agency for seven years. How well the commons works will be judged in part by how well these co-production relationships and interests can be managed.

Co-producers are often the siloed first user of the data to provide the initial personalised service. The bank, government, app provider who is providing a service and needs to know something about you will capture your servicing data to help administer the service.