  This research examines the impact of digital neo-colonialism on the Global
South and encourages the development of legal and economic incentives to
protect Indigenous cultures globally. Data governance is discussed in an
evolutionary context while focusing on data sharing and data mining. Case
studies that exemplify the need to steer global data law towards protecting the
earth, while addressing issues of data access, privacy, rights, and colonialism
in the global South are explored. The case studies highlight connections to
indigenous people's rights, in regard to the protection of environmental
ecosystems, thus establishing how data law can serve the earth from an
autochthonous lens. This framework examines histories shaped by colonialism and
suggests how data governance could be used to create healthier balances of
power.
