Digital extractivism is a term that describes how colonial practices used to extract and exploit colonies of valuable resources, is ongoing today through technology. Today digital extractivism is visible in the promotion of neoliberal policies of privatization and commodification, in partnership with governments, much to the detriment of the local economies and populations.

And just like in the past, colonial powers maximised transportation networks which offered the quickest means of removing valuable resources to metropoles, today, Big Tech corporations erect similar virtual and physical structures extracting value in the form of data and often, talent to boost foreign economies.

Today, Africans and citizens of the Global Majority are arising to the impact and significance of this sort of exploitation but more still needs to be done to spread awareness about the issues and the solutions necessary to challenge the status quo.

What?
How can we combat the current state of events, as it relates to exploitation and extractivism being carried out through technology today?
Objectives
To generate and stimulate discussion about the state of technology exploitation today citing case studies from the Digital Extractivism report.
To discuss challenges and opportunities for partnerships between civil society, the government and the private sector working on this topic.
Discuss potential policy and regulatory approaches to digitally-enabled exploitation.
To highlight successful case studies about successful resistance to digital extractivism.