IndividualsAre

IndividualsAre is a term used in contemporary ethics and design discourse to describe an approach that centers the unique status of each person within social, technological, and policy systems. It treats individuals not as anonymous data points or interchangeable roles, but as agents with rights, preferences, and responsibilities. The concept is invoked in debates on privacy, consent, algorithmic fairness, and human-centered design.

Although not tied to a single school, the term has emerged in scholarly and advocacy writings during the 2010s and 2020s, particularly where digital technologies collect and process personal information at scale. It is sometimes presented as a normative ideal guiding data governance, product development, and public policy.

Its core principles include autonomy, dignity, explicit consent, contextual integrity, data minimization, transparency, and accountability for institutions and algorithms. In practice, mentions appear in privacy-by-design frameworks, person-centered data trusts, and user-control mechanisms such as granular consent, portability rights, and the ability to contest automated decisions. Applications span social media, health tech, education platforms, and civic tech, wherever decisions affect individuals' lives.

Critics note that "IndividualsAre" can be vague or aspirational, and translating the principle into scalable policies can be difficult. Tensions may arise between individual control and collective analytics, or between user-friendly interfaces and robust data processing needs. Implementations may depend on strong governance, technical standards, and credible oversight.

Related concepts include personal data rights, privacy by design, data governance, and human-centered design.