We assume that the collection of our data by Big Tech companies — to scrutinize, categorize, and use for commercial and other unsanctioned purposes — is unique to our era. But scholar Anita Say Chan illustrates how the eugenics movement in the 19th and 20th centuries amassed and analyzed data in order to justify social hierarchies. She draws a line from that past to our present, but also reminds us of alternative traditions of data in the cause of social justice.

Resources:

Anita Say Chan, Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future UC Press, 2025

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