Big data as misleading facilities

The notion of big data is misleading twice over. Firstly, it suggests that big data are a homogeneous resource whose features are given and whose applications are known in advance, when they are nothing of the kind. Secondly, it draws attention towards a step of the data value chain, data collection, that is far less important than those of data processing and information production. The paper achieves the latter conclusion by showing that big data hardly meet the conditions of the European essential facility doctrine and do not lend themselves to be shared via viable compulsory licenses.