Farm management platforms offer farmers surveillance over their operations, but this article argues farmers are in fact objects of ag-tech companies' surveillance when using said platforms. The author claims that companies' data policies create an ‘illusion of data ownership’ to protect valuable data.
Abstract
This article investigates the role of farm management platforms in agricultural data governance. While positioning farmers for surveillance over their farm operations, farmers themselves are also objects of ag-tech companies’ surveillance when using corporate farm management platforms. A systematic analysis of corporate data policies reveals how farm management platforms enact surveillance capitalism in agriculture. I argue that the data policies are performing an ‘illusion of data ownership’ to protect the supremely valuable data aggregates. This study presents novel empirical and theoretical contributions in response to recent calls for attention to data governance and surveillance capitalism in agricultural contexts.
Reference
Ruder, S. L. (2024). The ‘terms and conditions’ of surveillance capitalism: theorizing agricultural data policy and governance. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2024.2429480
Read more here. See also the TABLE explainer, Power in the food system
Post a new comment »