The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance

Stephanie Russo Carroll,Jane Anderson,Robyn Rowe,Jarita Holbrook,Rodrigo Sara,Kay Raseroka,Raymond Lovett,Oscar L Figueroa-Rodríguez,Jennifer D Walker,Maui Hudson,Simeon Materechera,Mark Parsons,Desi Rodriguez-Lonebear,Ibrahim Garba

doi:10.5334/dsj-2020-043

Abstract

Concerns about secondary use of data and limited opportunities for benefit-sharing have focused attention on the tension that Indigenous communities feel between (1) protecting Indigenous rights and interests in Indigenous data (including traditional knowledges) and (2) supporting open data, machine learning, broad data sharing, and big data initiatives. The International Indigenous Data Sovereignty Interest Group (within the Research Data Alliance) is a network of nation-state based Indigenous data sovereignty networks and individuals that developed the ‘CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance’ (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) in consultation with Indigenous Peoples, scholars, non-profit organizations, and governments. The CARE Principles are people– and purpose-oriented, reflecting the crucial role of data in advancing innovation, governance, and self-determination among Indigenous Peoples. The Principles complement the existing data-centric approach represented in the ‘FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship’ (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). The CARE Principles build upon earlier work by the Te Mana Raraunga Maori Data Sovereignty Network, US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Network, Maiam nayri Wingara Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Data Sovereignty Collective, and numerous Indigenous Peoples, nations, and communities. The goal is that stewards and other users of Indigenous data will ‘Be FAIR and CARE.’ In this first formal publication of the CARE Principles, we articulate their rationale, describe their relation to the FAIR Principles, and present examples of their application.

Highlights

As the world engages with open data, big data, data reuse, and open science, data have increasingly become a global resource used for wielding power, making decisions, spurring innovation and discovery, and commercialization (Independent Expert Advisory Group 2014, The Economist 2017)
Carroll et al: The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance amplified by the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and the increasing convergence of biological and digital worlds facilitated through data sharing platforms
The CARE Principles draw from, integrate, and build on the work of mainstream stakeholders focused on data for reuse (e.g., FAIR Principles) and the efforts of Indigenous-led networks and coalitions focused on Indigenous data governance and research control

Summary

Introduction

As the world engages with open data, big data, data reuse, and open science, data have increasingly become a global resource used for wielding power, making decisions, spurring innovation and discovery, and commercialization (Independent Expert Advisory Group 2014, The Economist 2017). The advancement of Indigenous self-determination and the reclamation of Indigenous identity and knowledges over the past 50 years has led to the emergence of Indigenous Data Sovereignty, an assertion of the rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples in relation to data about them, their territories, and their ways of life (Carroll, Rodriguez-Lonebear & Martinez 2019; Rainie et al 2017; Kukutai & Taylor 2016a; Snipp 2016).

Results

Conclusion