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

Resources you can use:

• Allied Media Project, Our Data Bodies Playbook

• Zimmer, Michael, and Bonnie Tijerina. “Library Values & Privacy in Our National Digital Strategies: Field Guides, Convenings, and Conversations.” Milwaukee, WI, July 2018.

• Data Privacy Project, Privacy Literacy Training

• Responsible Data, Responsible Data Principles