DATA RIGHTS & INFORMATIONAL LABOR
YOUR DATA CREATES VALUE. WHO OWNS THE RISK?
Human knowledge, behavior, and creative contributions help power the data economy. Understanding those contributions means asking who creates value, who captures it, and where obligations may arise.
Economic measurement and evidence-building initiatives · Exploratory
THE ECONOMIC DISTINCTION
Contributions and infrastructure both matter.
People generate information through their work, experiences, expression, and interactions. Models, compute, and platforms transform those contributions into commercial outputs. Measuring infrastructure alone can leave the human contribution out of the picture.
Data Unions
Data Unions is a related initiative exploring how people and organizations can build collective evidence around informational contributions and economic participation. That work can inform governance and negotiation; it does not by itself establish ownership or compensation rights.
OweMe
OweMe is a related economic measurement and evidence-building initiative exploring how informational contributions can be documented and evaluated. Its measurements require legal and economic validation before they can support a specific obligation.
FROM CONTRIBUTION TO EXPOSURE
Two connected questions for organizations.
PDER / PERSONAL DATA EXPLOITATION RISK
Do you have authority to use the data?
Collection, consent, retention, disclosure, and commercialization practices can create privacy-related exposure. Documenting data sources and permissions helps an organization and its advisers evaluate that risk.
ILR / INFORMATIONAL LABOR RISK
What obligations follow the contribution?
Human inputs embedded in AI systems may raise questions about compensation, contracts, collective rights, or unauthorized commercialization. The legal basis and available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law.
THE EMERGING LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT
Follow the proposal. Keep the distinction.
New York Senator Leroy Comrie’s S5156, the proposed It’s Your Data Act, addresses protections and transparency in the collection and use of personal information.
As checked on October 21, 2026, the New York Senate lists the bill in the Codes Committee. It is proposed legislation, not enacted law, and does not itself establish universal data royalties. Any legal obligations must be assessed under applicable law.
THE NEXT STEP
Make informational exposure visible.
For organizations, unions, and data-rights groups exploring the relationship between contributions, evidence, and exposure.