Expropriation and alienation of data

critique of the political economy of information in digital networks

Abstract

Based on bibliographical research covering concepts of Information Science and studies of new
media, in dialogue with classic writings by Karl Marx, the objective of this article is to undertake
a critique of new forms of expropriation and alienation of data from internet users, made by
technology companies that own some of the most accessed digital platforms. The investigation
results indicate that the production of digital data is one of the main inputs for the business
models of these companies today. Despite the disruptive character of the new informational
practices favored by the development of technology, the dialogue with the Marxist analysis of the phenomena of land expropriation and labor alienation, within 19th century capitalism, reveals that the new dominant forms of production, circulation, and consumption of information are, dialectically,
subjected to the old social relations of the capitalist mode of production. The conclusion points to the relevance
of producing critical diagnoses about the information regime of the digital era, so that it is possible not only to
understand the uses of technological innovations within the scope of 21st century capitalism, but also to identify
the obstacles that such uses may bring for freedom and informational autonomy of subjects, being able to guide
practical actions for the regulation of digital platforms.