tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/data-governance-51880/articlesdata governance – The Conversation2023-12-05T17:50:44Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2174222023-12-05T17:50:44Z2023-12-05T17:50:44ZWant to know if your data are managed responsibly? Here are 15 questions to help you find out<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563436/original/file-20231204-21-5svi2j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5990%2C3506&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Organizations that gather information should establish a framework for responsibly managing user data.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/want-to-know-if-your-data-are-managed-responsibly-here-are-15-questions-to-help-you-find-out" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>As the volume and variety of data about people increases, so does the number of ideas about how data might be used. Studies show that many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-016-0153-x">people want their data</a> to be used for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/276aaca8-en">public benefit</a>. </p>
<p>However, the research also shows that public support for use of data is conditional, and only given when risks such as those related to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/11/15/americans-and-privacy-concerned-confused-and-feeling-lack-of-control-over-their-personal-information/">privacy</a>, <a href="https://wellcome.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/The_One-Way_Mirror_Public_attitudes_to_commercial_access_to_health_data/5616448">commercial exploitation</a> and <a href="https://www.jmir.org/2021/8/e26162/">artificial intelligence misuse</a> are addressed. </p>
<p>It takes a lot of work for organizations to establish data governance and management practices that mitigate risks while also encouraging beneficial uses of data. So much so, that it can be challenging for responsible organizations to communicate their data trustworthiness without providing an overwhelming amount of technical and legal details.</p>
<p>To address this challenge our team undertook a multiyear project to identify, refine and publish a short list of <a href="https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i4.2142">essential requirements for responsible data stewardship</a>.</p>
<p>Our 15 minimum specification requirements (min specs) are based on a review of the scientific literature and the practices of 23 different data-focused organizations and initiatives. </p>
<p>As part of our project, we compiled over 70 public resources, including examples of organizations that address the full list of min specs: <a href="https://www.ices.on.ca/data-repository-requirements/">ICES</a>, the <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d8b7b3eabff3c4f1954d802/t/63c9b2638614cc5609a3a0d3/1674163135114/hdc-minspecs.">Hartford Data Collaborative</a> and the <a href="https://www.unb.ca/nbirdt/data/privacy/index.html">New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training</a>.</p>
<p>Our hope is that information related to the min specs will help organizations and data-sharing initiatives share best practices and learn from each other to improve their governance and management of data.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a woman sitting on a sofa on a laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563439/original/file-20231204-23-rmsqh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">People want to know that organizations can responsibly gather and manage data.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Minimum specification requirements</h2>
<p>We also think the min specs can help people know what to expect of responsible data stewards. To support people in using the min specs, we translated them into plain language questions that individuals can pose to the organizations that collect, use or share their data:</p>
<p><strong>Legal</strong></p>
<p>1) What laws, consent forms or other documents give you the authority to collect, use or share data?</p>
<p><strong>Governance</strong></p>
<p>2) Where do you publicly state the purpose behind your data-focused activities?</p>
<p>3) Which committee or group is accountable for important decisions such as who can use data and how they can use it?</p>
<p>4) How do you achieve transparency about your data holdings, data access policies and other information that people want to know about their data?</p>
<p>5) How do you acknowledge and respect <a href="https://www.stateofopendata.od4d.net/chapters/issues/indigenous-data.html">Indigenous Data Sovereignty</a>? </p>
<p>6) What measures are in place to ensure you adapt and respond to new threats and opportunities?</p>
<p><strong>Management</strong></p>
<p>7) What policies, processes and procedures do you have to cover the entire data life cycle from collection through to use, sharing and destruction?</p>
<p>8) How do you address cybersecurity and data protection?</p>
<p>9) How do you identify and manage risks related to data?</p>
<p>10) What data documentation do you have to help people understand the data you hold?</p>
<p><strong>Data users</strong></p>
<p>11) Is there mandatory privacy and security training that data users must complete?</p>
<p>12) What are the consequences if data users do things they are not allowed to do with data?</p>
<p><strong>Stakeholder and public engagement</strong></p>
<p>13) How do you engage with stakeholders such as the organizations that provide you with data and the organizations that use the knowledge you generate?</p>
<p>14) How can members of the public be informed and get involved in the decisions you make about data?</p>
<p>15) What special measures do you have to engage and involve groups who have a special interest in your activities or decisions?</p>
<h2>Transparent and trustworthy</h2>
<p>These min spec questions can serve as a framework to improve data governance and management practices.</p>
<p>It is our hope that the more that members of the public request this kind of information, the more that organizations will proactively make it available or adapt their practices.</p>
<p>In this way, the min specs can help increase the transparency and trustworthiness of data holding organizations, which can, in turn, lead to more support for data being shared and used for public benefit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>P. Alison Paprica has received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other national and provincial research funders in Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Hawn Nelson receives funding from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Donna Curtis Maillet receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other national and provincial research funders in Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kimberlyn McGrail receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and other national and provincial research funders in Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael J. Schull receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Government of Ontario.</span></em></p>Responsible data stewardship must take many factors into account including legal requirements, data governance, cybersecurity and user privacy.P. Alison Paprica, Professor (adjunct) and Senior Fellow, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoAmy Hawn Nelson, Research Faculty, Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP), University of PennsylvaniaDonna Curtis Maillet, Privacy Officer, New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, Research associate, Faculty of Law, University of New BrunswickKimberlyn McGrail, Professor of Health Services and Policy Research, University of British ColumbiaMichael J. Schull, Professor, Department of Medicine, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1221212019-09-18T23:18:47Z2019-09-18T23:18:47ZFederal leaders should face tough questions about Toronto’s smart-city project<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292649/original/file-20190916-19030-18b75k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1084%2C679&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Politicians from all parties should be asked tough questions about their support of Toronto's Sidewalk Labs Quayside project while on the campaign trail. This is an artist's rendering of the project. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sidewalk Toronto</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With the federal election campaign under way, it’s helpful to have a quick and easy way to evaluate our prospective leaders’ commitment to good governance and sound economic policy. </p>
<p>I suggest a simple question: “If elected, how would you handle the Toronto Quayside development?”</p>
<p>For those of you who haven’t been following the bizarre controversies surrounding what a Swedish colleague of mine has dubbed “an urban development thriller,” the Quayside drama started in October 2017. </p>
<p>That’s when Waterfront Toronto, the tri-governmental agency responsible for developing a portion of Toronto’s portlands, <a href="https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/portal/waterfront/Home/waterfronthome/newsroom/newsarchive/news/2017/october/new+district+in+toronto+will+tackle+the+challenges+of+urban+growth">awarded a contract</a> to a Google sister company, Sidewalk Labs, to create a smart-city development plan in a 12-acre plot of land called Quayside.</p>
<p>As one of those three governments, the federal government has a say in the future of this project. It appoints a third of the directors to Waterfront Toronto’s board of directors (numbering 12 in total). Waterfront Toronto <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/08/12/ford-warns-an-expanded-sidewalk-labs-community-is-a-terrible-deal-for-taxpayers.html">has also committed to seeking approval</a> for the project from the three levels of government. Whoever forms the next government will therefore have an important role to play in the future of this project.</p>
<p>While this issue affects Toronto residents directly, the parties’ approach to Quayside will prove instructive to all Canadians.</p>
<p>It will reveal their approach to managing a 21st century digital economy in which data governance, intellectual property and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#1742b8501d09">Internet of Things</a> infrastructure are becoming increasingly important. It will also demonstrate whether they have a fundamental respect for good governance. </p>
<p>By both measures, the Quayside project has been a disaster from the very beginning.</p>
<h2>Bad governance</h2>
<p>For a young company (created in 2015) whose most impressive feature is its connection to the world’s leading data company, Sidewalk Labs <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/08/14/sidewalk-labs-unveils-plans-for-timber-towers-raincoats-for-buildings-in-quayside-but-torontonians-must-wait-for-data-details.html">has proved remarkably reluctant to discuss how they would govern data</a>, the lifeblood of any smart city. </p>
<p>Waterfront Toronto, meanwhile, proved unprepared for this type of project, a conclusion backed up by a <a href="http://www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en18/v1_315en18.pdf">scathing Auditor General of Ontario report</a>. In response to public pressure, Waterfront Toronto convened a part-time Digital Strategy Advisory Panel to advise it on these issues, a clear admission that it lacked the ability to handle them on its own. Early on, the panel <a href="https://thelogic.co/news/the-big-read/after-three-high-profile-resignations-waterfront-toronto-and-sidewalk-labs-attempt-to-regain-control-of-quayside-project/?gift=cb00ec18bcb74dcd830510beafc09652">was hit by two</a> <a href="https://thelogic.co/news/digital-advisors-criticize-waterfront-toronto-following-high-profile-resignation/?gift=6c795e46ef9b757fa3d31e08c3afce2d">resignations</a>. The auditor general reported that panel members criticized the panel for having “limited” effectiveness.</p>
<p>Then there’s the puzzling nature of the relationship between agency and vendor. The <a href="https://quaysideto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Plan-Development-Agreement-July-31-2018-and-Amendment-July-31-2019.pdf">agreement governing their relationship</a> gives Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto equal responsibility for developing the plan, even as Waterfront Toronto is <a href="https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/nbe/portal/waterfront/Home/waterfronthome/newsroom/newsarchive/news/2019/june/open+letter+from+waterfront+toronto+board+chair%2C+stephen+diamond+regarding+quayside">acting as if it’s an independent evaluator of the project</a>.</p>
<p>Will Fleissig, the Waterfront Toronto CEO who brought Sidewalk Labs to town, <a href="https://thelogic.co/news/exclusive/fleissig-ceo-of-waterfront-toronto-pressured-out-by-board/?gift=f62d2cecc235539c63375b35cab185a7">was pushed out</a> by the Waterfront Toronto board in July 2018, according to <em>The Logic</em>, in part for “his oversight of a decision to allow Sidewalk Labs personnel to temporarily occupy office space in the Waterfront Toronto headquarters.” </p>
<p>Julie DiLorenzo, a Toronto developer and board member, <a href="https://thelogic.co/news/leading-developer-julie-di-lorenzo-resigns-from-waterfront-toronto-board-ahead-of-key-vote-on-sidewalk-toronto/?gift=f05db6b4e254362eb528d97eea6068c2">resigned in July 2018</a> in protest of the many questionable actions by the two organizations, several of which are laid out in the aforementioned Auditor General report.</p>
<p>As disturbing as the governance practices surrounding Quayside have been, the substance of the actual proposal is even more problematic.</p>
<h2>Problematic economic policy</h2>
<p>In late June, Sidewalk Labs issued its <a href="https://quaysideto.ca/sidewalk-labs-proposal-master-innovation-and-development-plan/">four-volume, 1,500-page Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP)</a>, a <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2008962_2008964_2009010,00.html">Potemkin Village</a> of a report with a physical heft that gives the illusion of thoroughness and competence while delivering neither. </p>
<p>The MIDP was not written to be read. It lacks an executive summary, a complete table of contents, an index and in-text hyperlinks. I’ve read travel guides that are more technologically sophisticated than what this Google company has produced.</p>
<p>Despite these challenges, I actually have read all 1,500 pages of this plan — <a href="https://blaynehaggart.wordpress.com/midp-liveblog-entries/">I even liveblogged it.</a>. What I found was very disappointing. </p>
<p>Those expecting a carefully presented, detailed development plan will instead find a document that reads for the most part as a sales pitch — that is, when it’s not playing fast and loose with its terms of reference.</p>
<p>Rather than focusing on the Quayside district, as required by Waterfront Toronto, Sidewalk Labs makes clear that it has designs on a much broader section of the waterfront: A <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/sidewalk-labs-vows-its-190-acre-waterfront-plan-will-be-economic-windfall-for-toronto/ar-AADm4th">190-acre</a> parcel that it terms the “IDEA District.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/292652/original/file-20190916-19063-1ch652c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A view of the Portlands area of Toronto, the possible future home of Sidewalk Labs, from June 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To run what is a very tiny part of Toronto, it proposes <a href="https://blaynehaggart.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/liveblogging-sidewalk-labs-master-innovation-and-development-plan-guest-post-an-analysis-of-all-the-new-public-agencies-proposed-in-the-midp/">five new public agencies</a> without bothering to cost them out in terms of the specialized skills that would be needed to run them or their budgets. All we’re told is that user fees will pay for everything.</p>
<p>The promised economic benefits — which would emerge only in the very long term (20-plus years) — depend on a few key bets. </p>
<p>Getting Google to set up its Canadian branch headquarters to catalyze an already-existing Toronto tech sector is one of these bets. Meanwhile, a substantial amount of the plan’s promised economic and environmental benefits hinges on two unproven technologies, self-driving cars (by 2035) and <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/08/14/sidewalk-labs-unveils-plans-for-timber-towers-raincoats-for-buildings-in-quayside-but-torontonians-must-wait-for-data-details.html">mass-produced timber skyscrapers</a> involving a Sidewalk Labs-created timber mill/factory. </p>
<p>All three proposals raise important policy questions requiring substantive debate; they should not be treated as pure technical matters. And the success of the latter two depend on regulatory, societal and technological changes, especially for self-driving cars, that are beyond the control of Sidewalk Labs.</p>
<p>On data policy, Sidewalk Labs invents a term, “urban data,” that, <a href="https://cfe.ryerson.ca/blog/2019/08/%E2%80%9Curban-data%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Ccivic-data-trusts%E2%80%9D-smart-city">as York University academic Natasha Tusikov argues</a>, provides cover for the widespread collection of personal data, including for commercial and advertising purposes.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sidewalk-torontos-master-plan-raises-urgent-concerns-about-data-and-privacy-121025">Sidewalk Toronto's master plan raises urgent concerns about data and privacy</a>
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<p><a href="https://quaysideto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Amended-Note-to-Reader-July-8.pdf">Waterfront Toronto has raised several similar concerns</a> with the Sidewalk Labs plan. In response to Waterfront Toronto’s stated concerns, <a href="https://quaysideto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Plan-Development-Agreement-July-31-2018-and-Amendment-July-31-2019.pdf">the two organizations in July 2019 amended their agreement</a> to allow Waterfront Toronto to sever its relationship with Sidewalk Labs if its concerns are not addressed by Oct. 31. </p>
<p>This type of public bargaining is odd given their existing close relationship.</p>
<p>The Oct. 31 deadline is mere days after the federal election. Candidates will certainly be tempted to decline to comment on Quayside because of the deadline. But even before the election, the Liberals <a href="https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2019/08/12/ford-warns-an-expanded-sidewalk-labs-community-is-a-terrible-deal-for-taxpayers.html">suggested they’re taking a hands-off approach</a>, and not independently reviewing Waterfront Toronto’s decision.</p>
<h2>Planning our digital future</h2>
<p>Given all the problems with Quayside, to say nothing of the interdependent relationship between Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto, it would be a mistake not to press candidates on the project.</p>
<p>It touches on crucial questions of data governance and who will write the rules of the 21st century economy that Canada is starting to grapple with. If approved, it will have an impact on economic policy-making throughout the country, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/googles-guinea-pig-city/552932/">and possibly the world</a>. </p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2019/08/19/we-shouldnt-settle-for-more-of-the-same-on-torontos-waterfront.html">have argued</a> we should go along with Sidewalk Labs’ plans just because it’s a change from the status quo.</p>
<p>But Canada needs sound digital economic policy. Innovative urban policy is similarly urgently needed. Change for the sake of change is hardly a recipe for sound policy. </p>
<p>We need to get these rules right rather than sign onto a plan without fully considering its many flaws. If the federal government can’t get something like Quayside right, it doesn’t bode well for Canada’s digital future. Luckily, this election gives us a chance to see where the parties stand on these vital issues.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122121/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Blayne Haggart receives funding from the Social Sciences and the Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>If governments can’t get something like Quayside right, that bodes ill for Canada’s digital future. The election gives us a chance to see where the parties stand on vital data governance issues.Blayne Haggart, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1116102019-02-28T01:50:07Z2019-02-28T01:50:07ZAustralians want to support government use and sharing of data, but don’t trust their data will be safe<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261133/original/file-20190226-150715-ffa5h7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A new survey reveals community attitudes towards the use of personal data by government and researchers.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/719939482?size=huge_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Never has more data been held about us by government or companies that we interact with. Never has this data been so useful for analytical purposes. </p>
<p>But with such opportunities come risks and challenges. If personal data is going to be used for research and policy purposes, we need effective data governance arrangements in place, and community support (social licence) for this data to be used.</p>
<p>The ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods has recently undertaken a <a href="http://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/public-attitudes-towards-data-governance-australia-0">survey</a> of a <a href="https://www.srcentre.com.au/services/life-in-australia-panel">representative sample</a> of Australians to learn their views about about how personal data is used, stored and shared. </p>
<p>While Australians report a high level of support for the government to use and share data, there is less confidence that the government has the right safeguards in place or can be trusted with people’s data.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/soft-terms-like-open-and-sharing-dont-tell-the-true-story-of-your-data-95521">Soft terms like 'open' and 'sharing' don't tell the true story of your data</a>
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<h2>What government should do with data</h2>
<p>In the ANUPoll survey of more than 2,000 Australian adults (available for download at the <a href="https://ada.edu.au/">Australian Data Archive</a>) we asked:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>On the whole, do you think the Commonwealth Government should or should not be able to do the following? </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Six potential data uses were given. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261089/original/file-20190226-150718-1i71i98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Do you think the Commonwealth Government should or should not be able to … ?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods Working Paper</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Overall, Australians are supportive of the Australian government using data for purposes such as allocating resources to those who need it the most, and ensuring people are not claiming benefits to which they are not entitled.</p>
<p>They were slightly less supportive about providing data to researchers, though most still agreed or strongly agreed that it was worthwhile.</p>
<h2>Perceptions of government data use</h2>
<p>Community attitudes to the use of data by government are tied to perceptions about whether the government can keep personal data secure, and whether it’s behaving in a transparent and trustworthy manner. </p>
<p>To measure views of the Australian population on these issues, respondents were told:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Following are a number of statements about the Australian government and the data it holds about Australian residents. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>They were then asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed that the Australian government:</p>
<ul>
<li>could respond quickly and effectively to a data breach </li>
<li>has the ability to prevent data being hacked or leaked</li>
<li>can be trusted to use data responsibly</li>
<li>is open and honest about how data are collected, used and shared. </li>
</ul>
<p>Respondents did not express strong support for the view that the Australian government is able to protect people’s data, or is using data in an appropriate way.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=307&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261090/original/file-20190226-150718-1emcf12.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To what extent do you agree or disagree that the Australian Government … ?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods Working Paper</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-are-tech-companies-doing-about-ethical-use-of-data-not-much-104845">What are tech companies doing about ethical use of data? Not much</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We also asked respondents to:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[think] about the data about you that the Australian Government might currently hold, such as your income tax data, social security records, or use of health services. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>We then asked for their level of concern about five specific forms of data breaches or misuse of their own personal data.</p>
<p>We found that there are considerable concerns about different forms of data breaches or misuse. </p>
<p>More than 70% of respondents were concerned or very concerned about the accidental release of personal information, deliberate hacking of government systems, and data being provided to consultants or private sector organisations who may misuse the data. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/261091/original/file-20190226-150688-c0fsa7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Level of concern about specific forms of data breaches or misuse of a person’s own data …</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods Working Paper</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More than 60% were concerned or very concerned about their data being used by the Australian government to make unfair decisions. And more than half were concerned or very concerned about their data being provided to academic researchers who may misuse their information.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/facebooks-data-lockdown-is-a-disaster-for-academic-researchers-94533">Facebook's data lockdown is a disaster for academic researchers</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Trust in government to manage data</h2>
<p>The data environment in Australia is changing rapidly. More digital information about us is being created, captured, stored and shared than ever before, and there is a greater capacity to link information across multiple sources of data, and across multiple time periods. </p>
<p>While this creates opportunities, it also creates the risk that the data will be used in a way that is not in our best interests. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.pmc.gov.au/resource-centre/public-data/issues-paper-data-sharing-release-legislation">policy debate</a> at the moment about how data should be used and shared. If we don’t make use of the data available, that has costs in terms of worse service delivery and less effective government. So, locking data up is not a cost-free option. </p>
<p>But sharing data or making data available in a way that breaches people’s privacy can be harmful to individuals, and may generate a significant (and legitimate) public backlash. This would reduce the chance of data being made available in any form, and mean that the potential benefits of improving the wellbeing of Australians are lost.</p>
<p>If government, researchers and private companies want to be able to make use of the richness of the new data age, there is an urgent and continuing need to build up trust across the population, and to put policies in place that reassure consumers and users of government services.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/111610/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas Biddle has received funding from many Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and a range of other organisations.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Gray has received funding for many Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and a range of other organisations.</span></em></p>Australians aren’t confident that the government can be trusted with their data, or that is has the right safeguards in place to protect it.Nicholas Biddle, Associate Professor, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Australian National UniversityMatthew Gray, Director, ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/939052018-04-02T22:18:09Z2018-04-02T22:18:09ZWhat Quayside has taught us about smart cities and data governance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/212848/original/file-20180402-189807-11dxnf8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A rendering of Quayside, a neighborhood designed by Sidewalk Labs</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sidewalk Labs</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Toronto’s proposed Quayside community was supposed to be a brag-worthy global showcase for what a smart city, “built from the internet up,” would look like.</p>
<p>Instead, the joint partnership between <a href="https://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/">Waterfront Toronto</a> and U.S.-based <a href="https://www.sidewalklabs.com/">Sidewalk Labs</a> is five months into a 12-month, $50 million negotiation and consultation process. Those involved in Quayside have been <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4095904/sidewalk-labs-toronto-data/">surprised by the concerns raised about the project and the resistance to it</a>. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://youtu.be/--w9rskB-94">public meeting last month</a> — only their second in five months — failed to fill in basic details about the nature of the partnership, including how the for-profit Sidewalk Labs would actually generate income from the project.</p>
<p>Perhaps most surprisingly, officials at the meeting revealed that they were still privately negotiating the most fundamental components of their partnership, namely what data would be collected, who would control and own this data, where it would be stored and how it would be used. </p>
<p>The two sides are also negotiating who will control the intellectual property (IP) that comes from a project that has been designed to produce lots of IP.</p>
<h2>Coming to terms with a data-driven world</h2>
<p>These are not trivial issues. Smart-city infrastructure requires data collection — in fact, data is best conceived of as the fuel that powers smart cities. Without a constant stream of new data, smart cities cannot be as responsive in delivering public services.</p>
<p>In this respect, Quayside is not unique. Infrastructure projects will increasingly include data components, and municipalities and other levels of government — to say nothing of the citizens whose data these projects will collect — will face challenges similar to those currently encountered by Waterfront Toronto. </p>
<p>Government officials and our fellow citizens can learn a great deal about how <em>not</em> to approach such projects by examining Waterfront Toronto’s negotiations with Sidewalk Labs.</p>
<p>We suggest three key principles to consider for future smart city infrastructure projects:</p>
<h2>1. In data-intensive projects, data is the whole game</h2>
<p>Most of the flat-footedness related to the Quayside project to date can be traced back to <a href="https://sidewalktoronto.ca/wp-content/.../Waterfront-Toronto-RFP-No.-2017-13.pdf">Waterfront Toronto’s original request for proposals</a> (RFP). The document treats data instrumentally, focusing on what it can enable rather than treating it as the main product. </p>
<p>There is very little in the RFP that directly references the issue of data control, and the RFP is silent on who will determine what data will be generated. Instead, these and other related issues are left to be determined after the fact, with the RFP requiring only that “the Partner will work closely with Waterfront Toronto to … create the required governance constructs to stimulate the growth of an urban innovation cluster, including legal frameworks (e.g., Intellectual Property, privacy, data sharing) … deployment testbeds and project monitoring … reporting requirements and tools to capture data.”</p>
<h2>2. Set your governance policies in advance</h2>
<p>Here, we cannot do better than Bianca Wylie, head of the Open Data Institute Toronto: “<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/sensor-city-sidewalk-labs-toronto-project-triggers-debate-over-data/article38099002/">You don’t write policy with a vendor</a>.” </p>
<p>By not knowing — or not thinking through — what it wanted on data and IP governance, Waterfront Toronto has left itself to negotiate a deal that has fundamental implications for privacy and data security, and that may lead to de facto privatization of formerly public services. </p>
<p>While issues such as privatization are potentially legitimate policy options, typically they are decided upon before the fact.</p>
<h2>3. Focus on data collection, control and use</h2>
<p>Everything about data — from the decision to collect it to the way it is used — has a societal impact and therefore requires careful thought. Data-governance policies should, at the very minimum, answer the following questions:</p>
<p>Who controls the decision over what data is generated, its direct and indirect uses, the data itself and the platform through which the data is collected, including access to that platform?</p>
<p>How are decisions about the generation, collection and use of data made?</p>
<p>How will the data be used?</p>
<p>What are the social and economic consequences of these actions?</p>
<h2>A national data-governance strategy</h2>
<p>Not all of the blame for this situation rests with Waterfront Toronto. </p>
<p>Canada, <a href="https://www.cigionline.org/articles/considerations-canadas-national-data-strategy">as others</a> <a href="https://www.cigionline.org/articles/governments-role-constructing-data-driven-economy">have noted</a>, lacks a <a href="https://www.cigionline.org/data-governance-digital-age">data-governance strategy</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/bianca-wylie/think-hard-before-handing-tech-firms-the-rights-to-our-cities-data_a_23270793/">As Wylie has remarked in the context of the Quayside project</a>, our entire legislative framework is woefully out of date, and “we haven’t had a national discussion about our data, related public infrastructure, and the degree to which we want big tech influencing our governance and public services.”</p>
<p>Nonetheless, Waterfront Toronto should have set their data-governance demands in advance, and then sought out vendors. Much of the resulting confusion about Quayside can be traced to this initial mistake. </p>
<p>Fortunately, this is a learning opportunity for other governments. Almost everything government does now has a data component. This understanding must be built into their procurement prior to engaging with vendors. </p>
<p>Better yet, governments should create an overarching data governance plan and use that to guide interactions with various stakeholders. The stakes are too high to leave such consequential policies to chance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93905/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>When building a smart city, it’s vital that governments and citizens know up-front who will control the collected data.Blayne Haggart, Associate Professor of Political Science, Brock UniversityZachary Spicer, Visiting Researcher, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.