A Map to Democracy - Data Sovereignty as Final Destination with Brent van der Heiden & Bennett Iorio

In this episode of Legal4Tech - The Podcast, we talk with Bennett from the GIEF Foundation and Brent van der Heiden, co-founder of MapAtlas, to unpack why mapping is a deeply political act and why data sovereignty matters for democracy.

We explore topics such as:

• How commercial map apps turn our movements into valuable data streams and why "free" maps can come at the cost of our privacy
• The promise and pitfalls of decentralized mapping and how citizen-driven maps could empower communities in the Global South.
• What the article argues about regulating spatial data, limiting data brokerage and building citizen-aligned mapping infrastructures.

Join us for a deep dive into how location data, tech monopolies and governance models intersect to shape the future of our democracies.

Shownotes:

1. Who Owns the Map? Data sovereignty is Required to Protect Democracy

Sponsored by Digibeetle

Digibeetle helps privacy, AI, and data professionals stay on top of EU digital law, with notifications, a daily dashboard, and powerful search across thousands of sources. Learn more at https://digibeetle.eu.

Sponsored by GIEF.

The Geopolitical Insight and Education Foundation is an independent policy and research think tank focused on stability in our democracies. Learn more at https://www.giefoundation.net/