--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who owns the data is as important a…" description: "\"“Who owns the data is as important a question as who owned the land during the agricultural age and who owned the factory during the industrial age. Da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/alec-j-ross-49148_data_who-owns-the-data-is-as-important-a-ques_2182963.jpg" --- # Who owns the data is as important a question as who owned… ![“Who owns the data is as important a question as who owned the land during the agricultural age and who owned the factory during the industrial age. Data is the raw material of the information age. DUMB” quote by Alec J. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/alec-j-ross-49148_data_who-owns-the-data-is-as-important-a-ques_2182963.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/alec-j-ross-49148_data_who-owns-the-data-is-as-important-a-ques_2182963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a95/alec-j-ross-49148_data_who-owns-the-data-is-as-important-a-ques_2182963.jpg) > ““Who owns the data is as important a question as who owned the land during the agricultural age and who owned the factory during the industrial age. Data is the raw material of the information age. DUMB”” [Alec J. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-j-ross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Control of data is as crucial as control of land or factories in past eras. **In simple terms:** Data ownership matters like land ownership. Key Takeaway Guard your data. Themes data ownership power history Mood critical analytical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - business strategy - policy making - personal privacy Key Concepts information economy property rights Questions to Reflect On - Who truly owns your digital footprint? - How can we balance data use and rights? A Different Perspective Data can be misused if not regulated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Information age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-age/) ## Related quotes > [There is a reasonable concern that posting raw data can be misleading for those who are not trained in its use and who do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-cambone/there-is-a-reasonable-concern-that-posting-raw-data-can-be-misleading/) [Stephen Cambone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-cambone/) > [In the industrial age, the CEO sat on the top of the hierarchy and didn't have to listen to anybody ... In the information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sculley/in-the-industrial-age-the-ceo-sat-on-the-top-of-the-hierarchy-and/) [John Sculley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sculley/) > [Jobs are a centuries-old concept created during the Industrial Revolution. Despite the reality that we're now deep in the Information Age, many people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/jobs-are-a-centuries-old-concept-created-during-the-industrial/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“The industrial age was driven by analog copies—exact and cheap. The information age is driven by digital copies—exact and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-industrial-age-was-driven-by-analog-copies-exact-and-cheap-the/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [“We take great pride in our accumulated knowledge, and our hard drives are packed with data. But in some of the most important areas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-selvaggio/we-take-great-pride-in-our-accumulated-knowledge-and-our-hard-drives/) [Anthony Selvaggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-selvaggio/) > [The fact that radio is so hopeless at delivering data makes it an uncluttered medium, offering the basic story without the detailed trappings. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/the-fact-that-radio-is-so-hopeless-at-delivering-data-makes-it-an/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) > [I think that why the research and the data are so important is because you become so used to seeing the world one way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-think-that-why-the-research-and-the-data-are-so-important-is/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [We're entering a new world in which data may be more important than software.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/we-re-entering-a-new-world-in-which-data-may-be-more-important-than/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [Listening to the data is important... but so is experience and intuition. After all, what is intuition at its best but large amounts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lohr/listening-to-the-data-is-important-but-so-is-experience-and-intuition/) Steve Lohr > [Gender data is important. If girls don’t have a birth certificate, how do we know how many are marrying as children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/gender-data-is-important-if-girls-don-t-have-a-birth-certificate-how/) [Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/) > [Cities perform most functions in a very Industrial Age model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pahlka/cities-perform-most-functions-in-a-very-industrial-age-model/) [Jennifer Pahlka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pahlka/) > [During the twentieth century, men fought on behalf of nationalism. 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I don't care if you're the President of China or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/one-industrial-age-belief-is-that-gdp-or-gnp-is-a-measure-of-progress/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [In our life as a civilized person in the industrial age, we are invaded by objects; how could an object have a "force" when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-our-life-as-a-civilized-person-in-the-industrial-age-we-are/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) ## More by Alec J. Ross > [“Our most valued commodities have gone from salt and sugar to chemicals and fuels to data and services.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-j-ross/our-most-valued-commodities-have-gone-from-salt-and-sugar-to/) [Alec J. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-j-ross/) > [“And most big data programs do a poor job of identifying which correlations are more or less likely to be spurious. The use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-j-ross/and-most-big-data-programs-do-a-poor-job-of-identifying-which/) [Alec J. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-j-ross/) > [“biggest wins from new technology will go to the societies and firms that don’t just double down on the past but that can adapt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-j-ross/biggest-wins-from-new-technology-will-go-to-the-societies-and-firms/) [Alec J. Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-j-ross/) > [“In tomorrow’s workplace, either the human is telling the robot what to do or the robot is telling the human what to do. Children”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-j-ross/in-tomorrow-s-workplace-either-the-human-is-telling-the-robot-what-to/) [Alec J. 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Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/) [Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/) [Browse all 3,134 Data quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Who owns the data is as important a question as who owned the land during the agricultural age and who owned the factory during the industrial age. Data is the raw material of the information age. DUMB”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alec J. 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