Open Science, Health Data and Epistemic Harms: A Multidisciplinary Reflection

Tatenda Chatikobo; Frances Griffiths; Nikita Hayden; Gary Leeming; Ankita Mishra; Eva Morris; Luca Schirru; Nathanael Sheehan; Andrew Williams; Sharifah Sekalala

doi:10.5334/dsj-2026-015

Open Science, Health Data and Epistemic Harms: A Multidisciplinary Reflection

Volume 25 (2026): Issue 1

By: Tatenda Chatikobo , Frances Griffiths , Nikita Hayden , Gary Leeming , Ankita Mishra , Eva Morris , Luca Schirru , Nathanael Sheehan , Andrew Williams and Sharifah Sekalala

Open Access

|Apr 2026

Abstract

Open Science (OS) promises to democratise knowledge and reduce epistemic inequalities. However, a critical analysis reveals the potential of OS to amplify structural vulnerabilities, especially for people and communities already at the margins. With a particular focus on health data, this interdisciplinary essay examines how OS infrastructures perpetuate epistemic harms through the dominance of Eurocentric knowledge norms, legal regimes and corporate capture. Amidst the rapidly evolving health and data landscape, realising the social justice potential of OS, especially in healthcare, demands moving beyond techno-optimism to approaches that centre plural epistemologies, relational accountability and community empowerment.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/dsj-2026-015 | Journal eISSN: 1683-1470

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Language: English

Page range: 15 - 15

Submitted on: Nov 18, 2025

Accepted on: Mar 30, 2026

Published on: Apr 10, 2026

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

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© 2026 Tatenda Chatikobo, Frances Griffiths, Nikita Hayden, Gary Leeming, Ankita Mishra, Eva Morris, Luca Schirru, Nathanael Sheehan, Andrew Williams, Sharifah Sekalala, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 25 (2026): Issue 1