This contribution identifies and critiques the role that dialogue could
play as an important tool in bridging the gap between Northern and
Southern imaginaries, perceptions and realities on the presence of data
mining corporates in Africa, Latin America, the Arab World, Asia and
other regions of the world that do not associate themselves with the
highly industrialized West. Coming at a time when cynicism over the
presence of Silicon Valley and other major data players in Africa and
other non-Western regions of the world has been growing, a stakeholders’
dialogue to openly discuss and conscientize all parties on how and why
the presence of these major tech players may be deemed unwelcome by
locals and other observers.