Data are an intangible asset; like other information-related goods, they can be reproduced and transferred at almost zero marginal costs. So in contrast to the concept of ownership of physical goods, where the owner typically has exclusive rights and control over the good—including for instance the freedom to destroy the good—this is not the case for intangibles such as data. . . . Data ownership can be a poor starting point for data governance, and can even be misleading. . . . The important question isn’t who owns the data. Ultimately, we all do. A better question is who owns the means of analysis? Because that’s how . . . you get the right information in the right place. The digital divide isn’t about who owns data—it’s about who can put that data to work.

Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, loc. 288