RadicalxChange Foundation is honored to announce that it has received the MyData Award for 2025 at the MyData Global conference held at Aalto University in Helsinki. The award recognizes the Foundation’s sustained contribution toward advancing human-centric and ethical approaches to personal data governance.
Malik Lakoubay, Director of Policy and Outreach at RadicalxChange Foundation, accepted the award in the “visionaries” category alongside five other outstanding organizations and individuals working at the forefront of data rights and digital democracy.
Data Dignity in the Age of AI
For years, RadicalxChange has been at the forefront of the Data Dignity movement, advocating for a fundamental shift in how individuals and communities relate to their data. Our vision is clear: people should be able to exert democratic collective bargaining power over their data, enabling them to make joint decisions about its use and claim their rightful share in the data economy.
From the publication of the Data Freedom Act in 2019 to our contribution to the EU Data Union Strategy in 2025, RxC has consistently advanced the case for data unions and other pro-social digital infrastructures that empower citizens and organizations. This work represents a departure from purely individual rights frameworks toward collective governance models that reflect the inherently social nature of data.
Our most recent work develops new forms of trusted data intermediaries suited to the challenges of the AI era. As AI systems harness global data at unprecedented scale, often unconstrained and unchecked, entire sectors face existential threats–news media and creative industries being prime examples.
We believe the solution lies in collective structures and distributed data ecosystems rather than additional copyright regulations or individual licensing deals. At the sectoral level, representatives and trade associations are uniquely positioned to defend the interests of their members through coordinated action.
At the MyData conference, Lakoubay presented this vision and its application to the media sector. In partnership with OpenMined Foundation, RadicalxChange is working with media publishers and content creators to exert democratic collective bargaining power over their data.
Building on this recognition, RadicalxChange Foundation is committed to expanding this work through several strategic initiatives, including pilot projects in Indonesia, the Americas, and Europe with a particular focus on supporting minority languages and underrepresented communities.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the MyData community for this recognition and look forward to continuing our collaboration to build a fair, sustainable, and prosperous digital society for all.
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