The collection, processing, storage and circulation of data are fundamental element of contemporary societies. While the positivistic literature on ‘data revolution’ finds it essential for improving development delivery, critical data studies stress the threats of datafication. In this article, we demonstrate that datafication has been happening continuously through history, driven by political and economic pressures. We use historical examples to show how resource and personal data were extracted, accumulated and commodified by colonial empires, national governments and trade organizations, and argue that similar extractive processes are a present-day threat in the Global South. We argue that the decoupling of earlier and current datafication processes obscures the underlying, complex power dynamics of datafication. Our historical perspective shows how, once aggregated, data may become imperishable and can be appropriated for problematic purposes in the long run by both public and private entities. Using historical case studies, we challenge the current regulatory approaches that view data as a commodity and frame it instead as a mobile, non-perishable, yet ideally inalienable right of people.

数据的收集、处理、存储和流通是当代社会的基本要素。虽然关于“数据革命”的实证文献发现它对于改进开发交付至关重要，但关键数据研究强调数据化的威胁。在本文中，我们展示了在政治和经济压力的推动下，数据化在历史上一直在不断发生。我们使用历史例子来展示资源和个人数据是如何被殖民帝国、国家政府和贸易组织提取、积累和商品化的，并认为类似的提取过程是当今全球南方的威胁。我们认为，早期和当前数据化过程的脱钩掩盖了数据化潜在的、复杂的权力动态。我们的历史观点表明，一旦汇总，数据可能会变得不朽，并且从长远来看，公共和私人实体都可以将其用于有问题的目的。通过历史案例研究，我们挑战了当前将数据视为商品并将其构建为可移动、不易腐烂但理想情况下不可剥夺的人民权利的监管方法。