Responsible data collection and processing

RNW Media, a social organisation that is active in countries with limited freedoms, works a lot with sensitive data. Think of the political views of people in countries where there is no freedom of expression. RNW, therefore, asked us to develop a Responsible Data Policy. This allows the NGO to collect and process sensitive data in a responsible manner.

Our approach

The Responsible Data Policy (RDP) had to be comparable to that of other civil society organisations and accessible to a wide audience. At the same time, the RDP had to be focused on the work of RNW Media and aligned with the GDPR.

We developed the RDP in 7 steps:

1. We analysed existing Responsible Data Policies, especially those of other civil society organisations;
2. We interviewed stakeholders in different teams in the organisation;
3. We drew up a Responsible Data Framework (including feedback). This describes what RNW Media's aiming for with regard to data collection and processing;
4. We consulted intensively and coordinated everything with the organisation's AVG expert;
5. We have fully elaborated the Responsible Data Policy (including feedback) in policy articles;
6. Based on the RDP, we developed a Responsible Data Checklist that is updated at the start of a new investigation. All articles of the RDP are included in this checklist. For example, RNW Media will continue to collect and process data in a responsible manner in the future;
7. We developed a maintenance cycle for the RDP and the AVG within the organization. In this way we ensured that the policy remains current and widely supported.

The result

• RNW Media's Responsible Data Policy consists of articles in 6 sections:
• Respect for the Data Subject's Autonomy
• Respect for the Local Context
• Do No Harm
• Privacy Principles
• Transparency
• Risk and Responsibility in Practice

These sections and articles apply to various steps in the Responsible Data Cycle. Here you can see how data is collected and processed within the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning cycle of RNW Media.

The blue labels in the image below refer to specific items.

Read more about data and ethics?

Read Marieke's article on 5 ethical risks of working with data and a concrete solution.

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