This document focuses on privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) that protect data during analysis and dissemination of sensitive information so that the benefits of using data for official statistics can be realized while minimizing privacy risks to those entrusting sensitive data to National Statistics Offices (NSOs).

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For anyone who works at a nonprofit or civil society group, this guide can help protect the digital privacy of their clients and supporters in a number of ways. These principles should be helpful for thinking about how to move towards better privacy practices in an organization.

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De-identification, the process of removing personally identifiable information from data collected, stored, and used by organizations, was once viewed as a silver bullet allowing organizations to reap data benefits while at the same time avoiding risks and legal requirements. However, the concept of de-identification has come under intense pressure to the point of being discredited by some critics.

This visual guide provides a primer on how to distinguish different categories of data and introduces de-identification of datasets, including direct and indirect identifiers, safeguards, and controls.

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It seems like every week there are new data breaches, concerns about our privacy, and stories about data science gone wrong. We hear about banks giving credit to customers they know can’t afford it, casinos using data science and behavioral economics to keep customers coming back for more and driving them into bankruptcy, and on and on…

These kinds of behaviors aren’t limited to private sector actors in search of greater profits. Nonprofits can also be irresponsible with their data, or fall victim to unintended consequences. Blackbaud suffered a data breach and ended up paying ransom to hackers that were in their system for months. The United Nations shared data about Rohingya refugees without their consent, possibly increasing their vulnerability in returning to Myanmar.

In this Guide

• Simple, practical tools and principles to help your organization use data responsibly. 
• Checklist created by the DrivenData team for data scientists to assess the risk of a project at the outset.
• A tool developed by IDEO to support ethical design with data.
• How Salesforce developed the first office of Ethical & Humane Use.
• Help an organization develop a mindset for collecting and using data responsibly.

Ethical and Humane Use Leadership

Salesforce developed an Office of Ethical & Humane Use to develop principles and practices for ensuring that their technology is being used in ways that align with the company’s values. It has enabled employees to report unethical uses by customers, developed a toolkit to help teams build with intention, and pushed other technology companies to develop similar offices. 

Conclusion

The resources above will help you implement responsible data use for your organizations. We also suggest reaching out to peer organizations, whose challenges and learning may provide direct and current examples of ways forward. Please feel free to suggest any other guides you found helpful by contacting us and we may incorporate them.

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Data is a powerful resource at the disposal of nearly every organization. With so much data available, it is beneficial to know how to use it to drive decisions in your organization. It is also essential to understand customers’ rights when it comes to their privacy and how to uphold their trust and safety. This resource provides guidance for organizations to implement data privacy best practices.

The post Data Privacy: 4 Things Every Business Professional Should Know appeared first on data.org.

The Responsible Data for Children (RD4C) Data Ecosystem Mapping Tool from GovLab intends to help users to identify the systems generating data about children and the key components of those systems. Actors who seek to ensure responsible data for children in their context often need to make decisions without a detailed understanding of the current situation.

This resource provides an understanding of the breadth of data generated and hold about children; assesses data systems’ redundancies or gaps; identifies opportunities for responsible data use.

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Data can be used to drive decisions and make an impact at scale. Yet, this powerful resource comes with challenges. How can organizations ethically collect, store, and use data? What rights must be upheld? The field of data ethics explores these questions.

Data ethics encompasses the moral obligations of gathering, protecting, and using personally identifiable information and how it affects individuals. Data ethics are of the utmost concern to analysts, data scientists, and information technology professionals. Anyone who handles data, however, must be well-versed in its basic principles.

This resource offers five guiding principles for business professionals who handle data.

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The RD4C Opportunity and Risk Diagnostic Tool provides organizations with a way to take stock of the RD4C principles and how they might be realized as an organization reviews a data project or system. This resource is intended to help users identify areas in need of attention and to strategize the next steps for ensuring an organization’s more responsible handling of data for and about children.

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Securing data, devices, and tools is paramount for protecting user privacy and ensuring that organizational data is not compromised. In addition, national and international regulations for data security and privacy — particularly around health infrastructure and personally identifiable information — are an increasingly important consideration for many organizations. These regulations include the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Privacy Framework.

A hosting service provides cloud computing that stores and processes end-user data while delivering data management services over the internet. Cloud storage reduces the financial and human resources needed within organizations to back up data and maintain server access.

This resource outlines steps to promote modern and robust front-end security when using third-party cloud services. Combined with the extensive security protocols implemented by cloud service providers, these practices yield an additional layer of protection for private data.

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This questionnaire was developed for individuals and teams leading the design, implementation, and administration of data systems
handling data for and about children — including those working in public agencies, private businesses, and the humanitarian and development
sector. This tool seeks to provide a structured approach for designing best practices.

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