While data has been driving decision-making in businesses and governments for a long time now, in the social sector too, entrepreneurs are increasingly using data to see and sense what is happening on-ground and using the findings to design better programmes, bring efficiency and measure impact better. However, where do citizens stand in this data narrative? Are they just passive recipients of someone else’s enhanced decision-making? 

The phrase ‘data is the new oil’ has now become a familiar phrase. While it has been in use for almost a decade, its implications are now clear for all to see as data informs more and more of government and civil society decision-making as well as businesses. Now more than ever, conversations around data policies are gaining relevance in the mainstream.