Despite the abundance of data and clear potential benefits in re-using it, the data ecosystem remains hampered by several inequalities and asymmetries, many of which exacerbate existing socio-economic gaps. These asymmetries limit the potential of re-using data for the public good and prevent all stakeholders from benefiting from the potential of data equitably. Agency is inequitably distributed across stakeholders, including citizens, in data ecosystems, which is translated into imbalances of power and influence among actors that impact how data is managed and utilized. This ultimately impacts the extent to which data can be reused in inclusive and responsible ways and for the public good.

To address the challenge of data asymmetries, The Data Tank aims to implement a Social License Framework across the data ecosystem to incentivize new methods of interactions between the data providers and data users based on stakeholder engagement and collaboration, giving agency to stakeholders and people that historically are not represented. A Social License aims to capture collective consent by focusing on the tacit endorsement of individuals and communities for the collection, use, and re-use of their data, following meaningful participation processes. As such, a Social License expresses preferences or expectations and can support and accelerate the creation of more formalized contractual or licensing approaches.

The Data Tank´s goal is to empower communities by giving them mechanisms of ownership and agency over their data. These mechanisms involve the implementation of citizen engagement methods such as citizen assemblies, in-depth participatory and co-design processes or deliberative polling, among others.

Enablers

-Develop a Social License framework that takes into account diverse contexts, publics, and data uses

-Implement meaningful citizen engagement methods

Key Activities

-Prototype citizen engagement methods, such as citizen assemblies, with a specific thematic focus and target

-Create a repository of good practices and use cases of citizen engagement in data projects

-Test the social license toolkit for data initiatives

-Expand the social license toolkit

Intended Outcomes

-Empower communities that provide their data by giving them ownership and agency

-Catalyse citizen engagement in data initiatives

We will monitor this commitment through annual self-evaluation within our team and report the results in the next UNWDF.