Comment by __MatrixMan__
8 hours ago
Yes, but it is a social contract governing things that can't be easily copied.
We desperately need better social contracts which help us deal with data-about-me and data-i-created, but neither of those align very well with property.
I own paper money that is pretty easy to copy and worth far more than the paper it's on...
Easier to copy than a bit?
Trivially more difficult, kids in middle school were doing it so that bar isn't that high.
> but it is a social contract governing things that can't be easily copied
I think it’s fair to argue this makes data something that should not be able to be owned. But saying it can’t be owned is plain wrong.
You're right. We can implement social contracts however we please.
But regarding the particular implementation as codified in US law (and I think elsewhere also), property rights do not extend to data.
> regarding the particular implementation as codified in US law (and I think elsewhere also), property rights do not extend to data
Maybe not in general, though I’m curious for a source. Practically speaking, what separates data and information is a necessarily subjective exercise. And information absolutely can be property.
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