Data as Labor and the Ethics of Exchange: Student Data, Privacy, and the Moral Limits of Institutional Authority

As universities increasingly turn student data into a marketable asset, questions of ownership, consent, and privacy can no longer be treated as secondary concerns. This paper examines two proposals that would allow Stanford University to sell either individual or aggregated student data to potential employers, arguing that both raise serious ethical problems. Drawing on Marx’s theory of exchange and labor, alongside contemporary accounts of data ethics and privacy, the paper argues that student data is not the university’s property alone. Because this data is produced through students’ lives, choices, and labor, students retain a legitimate claim to it. Selling such data without explicit, informed consent violates core principles of exchange and constitutes a breach of privacy. While selling individual data with consent preserves some student agency, it still exposes students to long-term risks once control over their data is lost. Aggregated data, though often framed as harmless or anonymous, presents deeper structural dangers, including re-identification, profiling, and subtle constraints on student autonomy. Ultimately, this paper contends that protecting student privacy is not just about safeguarding information, but rather about preserving an academic environment where freedom of inquiry, self-determination, and trust can genuinely thrive.