A 3D approach on European data cooperative as an intermediation service

Data has become a valuable resource due to the rapid growth of technology. Nevertheless, data has little value when held by its "collectors". The true value of data unfolds through its reuse, necessitating the role of data intermediaries to facilitate this process. From the data intermediation services, as employed in the Data Governance Act (DGA), we are going to discuss the data intermediaries organized in data cooperatives, which ensure the technical, legal, and logistical support for data transactions, according to the European framework. The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of the cooperative as a data-sharing intermediary within the European context. We will adopt a threefold approach, examining the topic from legal, psychological, and technical perspectives to achieve a comprehensive understanding. To accomplish our objectives, we will conduct a thorough literature review. The DGA does not specify whether data cooperatives are cooperative societies, whose primary function is to facilitate the reuse of data, or whether they are a form of cooperation between data subjects and one-person undertakings or SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), on the one hand, and potential data users, on the other. Therefore, we will consider both interpretations and make an effort to clarify the following: What type of organization is the data cooperative? What are the primary goals of the data cooperative as stated by DGA? What are the trigger issues and drawbacks associated with participating in a data cooperative from the legal and psychological perspective of a data subject and from the small entrepreneurs' point of view? Finally, we will briefly go over the technical solutions that will enable the data cooperative to operate as a cooperative society and, more broadly, as a data space across Europe.