Presentations in this session by:

• James Felton Keith, Chairperson, Keith Institute

Based on his latest book Data Is Labor, James Felton Keith talks about the legal rights to ownership of personal data how it is empowering both individuals and the organized labor movement's ability to claim control over revenues from productive processes that include information about people in their product development, capitalization, and insurance. This talk has been given at private insurance companies like Aon, Marsh, and global universities like University of Georgia and New York University.

• Soheil Human, Assistant Professor and Director of the Sustainable Computing Lab, Vienna University of Economics and Business

This presentation will explore the urgent need to reframe prevailing approaches to digital privacy and rights from an individual-centric paradigm to a more sustainable, human-compatible model that integrates cognitive, collective, and contextual supports. While digital technologies have transformed economies, industries, and human interaction, they have also intensified ethical and societal concerns, particularly around human agency and rights. Current practices often place the responsibility for safeguarding privacy and data protection on individuals, disregarding the asymmetries of knowledge, resources, and power between users and service providers.

The session will introduce the concept of “collective humans in the loop” as a strategic departure from existing frameworks, broadening the discourse from narrowly defined “data protection” toward a more encompassing vision of “digital protection.” This includes addressing privacy, consent, and control as interconnected, socially embedded processes rather than isolated personal responsibilities.

Drawing on recent research, the presentation will outline practical pathways for embedding collective agency into the internet infrastructure. A central focus will be the “Advanced Data Protection Control (ADPC)” mechanism—an emerging sociotechnical approach that enables more effective, standardized, and meaningful communication between users and stakeholders.

The MyData audience will benefit from actionable insights into designing systems and policies that shift power balances, embed pluralism and inclusion, and support continuous co-creation and evaluation of technologies. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how collective and automated supports can be integrated into governance and technical architectures to ensure human agency remains central in shaping the digital future.