Better Deal for Data

The Problem It Solves: Standardizing Data Practices and Enhancing Trust

Shared data is critical to understanding the complex agroecological systems at the heart of producers’ activities and livelihoods. It should be stewarded with care, for the benefit of the producers and organizations who provide it, and often data should not be openly shared at all. However, for organizations and researchers who collect and use this data, there is no particular standard of care; instead, there is a patchwork of regulations and practices which are difficult for producers to understand and trust. The result is a default lack of trust, which slows the crucial collection of accurate data that is necessary to understanding these systems.   .

The Better Deal for Data provides a shared set of principles that can be adopted by and between nonprofits, government agencies, socially minded for-profits, and the people and communities they work with. It prescribes a practical set of norms for safeguarding their data, and using it to their benefit, not to exploit or harm them. A straightforward set of commitments, made to individuals and organizations by those who collect and use their data is at its core. It provides a standard not just for agricultural data, but one that can be used across sectors by any organization holding the sensitive data of its community.

In adopting the Better Deal for Data standard, organizations demonstrate that their data stewardship is worthy of the trust of individual producers and their communities. With widespread adoption, it will become a recognized standard for ethical data practices,enhancing trust by signifying an organization which can be depended upon to act in producers’ interests.
 

What the Better Deal for Data Is

In our work around the globe, Tech Matters heard repeated stories of data being misused to the detriment of producers: to charge them more for inputs, to pay them less for outputs, as the basis of a legal suit, or to provide negotiating leverage in land transactions. As we explored the problem, we recognized that this issue isn’t unique to agriculture; there is a widespread need to protect sensitive data from misuse.

At the same time, agricultural researchers were expressing the difficulty of obtaining producer trust – trust critically needed to collect the data essential to better understanding the relationship between farm practices and outcomes. The activities of “big tech” in extracting and monetizing user data have only increased the suspicions of individual producers.

The Better Deal for Data provides a set of commitments which can be adopted by data stewards to signal trustworthiness while legally binding them to ethical practices. It is based around the idea of “no surprises”: if someone provides you with data in the context of your activities and relationship, they should not be surprised by how you are using that data. This requires both transparency and community dialog.

The BD4D Standard comprises seven commitments, made by an organization to those whose data it touches, together with explanatory text providing additional nuance and explanation for each. The commitments, by design, are simple:

• Purpose. We are using Your Data to benefit You, your community, humanity, and the planet, not for private gain or profit.
• Ownership. We don’t claim ownership of Your Data.
• Control. We will delete Your Data, correct it, or transfer it to You if You ask.
• Monetization. We will not monetize Your Data by providing it to third parties for compensation.
• Protection. We will steward Your Data with care, and comply with applicable data privacy laws.
• Research. If we or a trusted partner do research based on Your Data, we will follow best practices around the anonymization of personal data, and published research papers or reports will be made available to You for free.
• Binding. We will be legally bound by these Commitments, and anyone we share Your Data with will be similarly bound.

Why It Matters: For Farmers and Supply Chain Players

Producers can use the Better Deal for Data to:

• Rapidly identify organizations which can be trusted to receive and hold their data.
• Use BD4D adoption as a signal of an opportunity to reduce the burden of careful attention to the fine print of privacy policies and software licenses.
• Start a conversation with any potential data partner: If you haven’t adopted, why not? What are you doing with my data that would surprise me?
• Ensure that if they want to back out of a data sharing relationship, they can do so – they have the right to get a copy of their data and then have it deleted.

Why It Matters:  For Developers and Researchers

Many software developers and agricultural researchers will already have goals and practices that align to the Better Deal for Data. Adopting the BD4D standard provides the framework to intentionally assess these practices, allowing these organizations to:

• Clearly communicate their values and commitments to their users/research partners.
• Receive data from other BD4D adopters when community goals are aligned.
• Share data with other BD4D adopters when community goals are aligned.
• Spark internal discussions to align values with legal agreements and commitments.

Getting Started (The “Toolbox”)

Interested in adopting the Better Deal for Data?  There are a variety of resources to help you:

• Primary website: bd4d.org provides the primary entry point for all resources.
• BD4D Standard: the full text of the current version of the BD4D standard can be browsed (HTML) – or downloaded (PDF) from a button at the bottom of that page.
• BD4D Playbook: the Playbook provides an operational guide for any organization considering adoption, including:
  • Sample Use Cases
  • Adoption Guide (Readiness, Implementation, BD4D in Practice, Adopter Resources)
  • Snapshots from adopters
  • Glossary
• Research Publications: includes both Research Papers, reviewing and contextualizing academic work in data stewardship and data governance, and Major Questions essays, exploring some of the thornier questions raised by the BD4D community.
• Community: join the mailing list to get the latest information and track updates to the Standard and the availability of additional resources.
• Events: meet other adopters and BD4D maintainer staff at various events.
• FAQ: the Frequently Asked Questions section provides additional information about BD4D.
• Contributions / Help: reach out via email with your ideas, or ask and we’ll answer any questions or connect directly!

Governance and Alignment

Version 1.0 of the Better Deal for Data Standard was co-created through a collaborative community process led by Tech Matters, a California nonprofit. This coalition comprised more than 50 individuals and organizations. The Standard was released under a Creative Commons license for all to use. Funding for BD4D has come from:

• Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
• The Patrick J. McGovern Foundation
• Okta for Good
• OpenTEAM (with support from USDA)
• Schmidt Futures
• The Skoll Foundation
• Splunk

Tech Matters actively seeks feedback and suggestions from all. As adoption proceeds, we hope to more formally include the adopter community in governance.
 

The Ecosystem

The Playbook contains snapshots of BD4D adoption, including:

• Terraso Privacy Policy and Terms of Service
• The Soil Inventory Project Data Use Policy

The BD4D Blog also provides stories of community engagement, including:

• Why Cadasta is Endorsing (link to Cadasta blog)