The data colonialism hypothesis and neoliberalism

Abstract

The text presents the hypothesis that data colonialism deepens inequalities between countries, driven by neoliberalism. It is argued that the transfer of Brazilian judicial and educational processes data to large foreign technology corporations illustrates this dynamic. Such a practice is normalized by a neoliberal logic that values economic efficiency and a supposed neutrality of digital platforms, obscuring crucial debates on data sovereignty, local technological development, and the geopolitical interests of these companies. Coloniality is understood here as a power pattern perpetuated by the inferiorization of knowledge from non-affluent societies, which expands in a datafied society. Neoliberalism, by prioritizing the market and companies, intensifies this coloniality, promoting dependence on technological solutions from large conglomerates to the detriment of local development. Technical alienation and dataism favor the acceptance of this subordination. Finally, it is argued that there is an urgent need to investigate and unveil such networks of subjection so that technologies can serve collective and local interests.