ICTworks

As a rights-based organization, Oxfam is committed to using data responsibly in order to uphold the rights of the individuals, groups, and organizations with whom we work. Using data responsibly is not just an issue of technical security and encryption but also of safeguarding the rights of people to be counted and heard; ensure their dignity, respect and privacy; enable them to make informed decisions; and not be put at risk, when providing data.

Register now for MERL Tech to join the session Developing and Operationalizing Responsible Data Policies with the authors of this policy.

Oxfam recognizes that people have rights with regards to the information related to them and that Oxfam has a responsibility to uphold those rights. The rights that form the backbone of Oxfam’s Responsible Program Data Policy are:

1. Right to be counted and heard
2. Right to dignity and respect
3. Right to make an informed decision
4. Right to privacy
5. Right to not be put at risk

This policy should not be seen as restricting or discouraging; rather, it sets out to facilitate the invaluable contribution that data makes to the quality of Oxfam’s work, upholding accountability and allowing Oxfam to raise the voices of those with whom we work.

For the purposes of this policy, “data” is considered to be the physical representation of information in a manner suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by human beings or by automatic means. Data may be numerical, descriptive, audio, or visual1. The formal term for individuals from whom data is collected is “data subjects”2. In this policy, however, we use the term “participants” and expand the definition to include any group, cooperative, or other entity with which Oxfam works that provide program data.

Oxfam’s Responsible Program Data Policy sets out the policy for the treatment of program data by Oxfam throughout the data lifecycle from planning to collection through to disposal. This data may pose varying degrees of risk to different stakeholders, including but not limited to the people who provide data, those that collect it, and Oxfam; therefore, this policy includes definitions and requirements for managing high-, medium-, and low-risk data.