Data Governance, Data Politics & Public Data from the Global South: In Conversation with Silvana Fumega

The Centre for Digital Culture is thrilled to welcome Dr Silvana Fumega for an afternoon of thinking data. Silvana is an international researcher and practitioner working at the intersection of data governance, public policy, and inclusion. Her work explores how data systems are designed, governed, and used in ways that shape accountability, participation, and power, with a particular focus on perspectives and experiences from the Global South.

Her research and practice have evolved alongside the global data agenda itself. Silvana led the Global Data Barometer (GDB), a global initiative examining how countries govern and use data for the public good, and has worked extensively on questions related to governance capacities, and other dimensions of public data ecosystems. She is also Co-Founder of Data Against Feminicide, an international initiative supporting communities and organizations documenting gender-based violence and developing feminist approaches to data infrastructures.

Silvana completed her PhD focusing on issues of openness, transparency, and public participation, and her current interests increasingly sit at the intersection of AI governance, data politics, institutional responsibility, and the role of data systems in shaping democratic futures. The discussion will explore questions of data governance and data politics from and within Global South contexts, drawing from both research and practical experience.

Speaker bio
Silvana Fumega is an international specialist in public data governance and inclusive data practices with over 15 years of global experience. Her work focuses on the intersection of data, policy, and inclusion, with expertise in data governance, AI governance, public sector reform, and community-driven data initiatives. She has served as Director of the first and second editions of the Global Data Barometer and is Co-Founder of Data Against Feminicide.