CENTER FOR DATA INNOVATION 1
Digital Equity 2.0: How to Close
the Data Divide
By Gillian Diebold and Daniel Castro | May 8, 2023
The United States has strived to address digital inequities
in the Internet economy through programs that combat
the “digital divide.” But in the data economy, a number of
social and economic inequities arise from a lack of data
collection or use of data. These inequities—the “data
divide”—require new policy solutions to ensure that all
Americans are represented in data and can put it to use.
To tackle this new challenge, policymakers face two
starkly different options: Option A) hold back data
collection and data-driven technologies until they are
equitable for everyone; or option B) allow the data-driven
technologies to prosper while working to increase access
for everyone. To close the digital divide, U.S. policymakers
have chosen option B. But for the data divide, many are
flirting with option A, when they should be choosing
option B.
INTRODUCTION
For the last decade, closing the digital divide, or the gap between those
subscribing to broadband and those not subscribing, has been a top
priority for policymakers. But high-speed Internet and computing device
access are no longer the only barriers to fully participating and benefiting
from the digital economy. Data is also increasingly essential, including in
health care, financial services, and education. Like the digital divide, a gap
has emerged between the data haves and the data have-nots, and this gap
has introduced a new set of inequities: the data divide.
Policymakers have put a great deal of effort into closing the digital divide,
and there is now near-universal acceptance of the notion that obtaining
