Jim Sill
Day 1: Theme 2, “Authority to Control”. The presentation will explore how indigenous authority to control data can be recognized, operationalized, and protected within modern digital ecosystems. The mixed method research models that I have utilized has yielded historical; legal; and empirical data. The presentation will also provide concrete models of governance that reconcile data’s non-territorial nature with Indigenous self-determination, ensuring that digital infrastructures reflect Indigenous jurisdiction, consent, and stewardship. Grounded in the OCAP and CARE principles; specifically, “the authority to control” – the research questions, “who has the right” to my digital twin and, is data exceptional?” were addressed. The presentation contributes three outcomes: 1) a legal-historical analysis, linking sovereignty’s foundations to modern data rights; 2) empirical validation of how sovereignty principles manifest in digital governance; and 3) the proposed hybridized governance model that reconciles data’s non-territorial character with the enduring indigenous right of self-determination. Ultimately, this work demonstrates that recognizing indigenous authority over data is not only a moral imperative, but also a legal and epistemological necessity for restoring sovereignty, stewardship, and shared data responsibility.