# Advocating for ethical, responsible, and accessible civic data

**What's the need?**

* Civic data that is created through public funding should be well-known and easily accessible by the public. Realizing this often requires additional effort from data intermediaries.
* People appear in public datasets when they perform common activities such as obtaining a license, or making a 311 report. The public should be aware of how their activity is recorded and publicly distributed.
* The public interest in open data must be balanced with the protection of privacy

**Why the library?**  

* Libraries democratize access to information. This can and should apply to data too. 
* Libraries protect patron privacy to support broad accessibility to information and freedom of inquiry.

**What you can do:**

* Review how civic data is published in your region with an eye to access. Share what you find with civic data producers and publishers.
* Review how civic data is published in your region with an eye to personal privacy. Share what you find with civic data producers and publishers.
* Host workshops, speakers, film screenings, and other events that raise awareness of how individuals' personal traces might appear in civic data. Include guidance on protecting personal privacy.

**Inspiration:**

* San Jose, CA: [Virtual Privacy Lab ](https://www.sjpl.org/privacy)

**Resources you can use:**

* Allied Media Project, [Our Data Bodies Playbook ](https://www.alliedmedia.org/news/2019/02/07/our-data-bodies-playbook-out)
* Zimmer, Michael, and Bonnie Tijerina. “[Library Values & Privacy in Our  National Digital Strategies: Field Guides, Convenings, and Conversations](https://cipr.uwm.edu/2018/08/02/project-report-library-values-privacy/).” Milwaukee, WI, July 2018. 
* Data Privacy Project, [Privacy Literacy Training ](https://dataprivacyproject.org/initiatives/privacy-literacy-training/)
* Responsible Data, [Responsible Data Principles](https://responsibledata.io/2018/01/24/rd-101-responsible-data-principles/)