How people connect fairness and equity when they talk about data uses

As a mechanism for addressing data-related harms, fairness has been subjected to considerable criticism, seen as failing to acknowledge the power relationships that produce said harms, or as a “floating signifier” devoid of specific meaning. In contrast to fairness, it is argued that equity does a better job of recognising data-related harms (eg D’Ignazio and Klein, 2020). Criticisms such as these emerge in specific cultural contexts and rarely acknowledge everyday understandings of terms and concepts. This paper engages with these criticisms, drawing on research exploring how 112 UK residents perceive data uses in specific public service organisations. We found that participants perceive fairness and equity to be interwoven with each other, a finding which shows that who gets to define what is fair matters and which challenges assumptions about what does and does not constitute thinking and talking data politics. We conclude by proposing that linking fairness with equity can be seen as a kind of everyday data solidarity.