Data Sovereignty Policy

​

Our Commitment

​

Core Principles

​

Community Ownership

• Data belongs to communities: All language data collected or processed by Heritage Lab remains the property of the originating community
• Community control: Communities have the right to determine how their data is used, stored, and shared
• No unauthorized use: We do not use community data for purposes not explicitly approved by the community

​

Informed Consent

• Clear communication: We provide clear information about how data will be used before collection
• Ongoing consent: Communities can withdraw consent or modify data use agreements at any time
• Transparency: We maintain transparency about data processing, storage, and sharing practices

​

Data Protection

• Security: We implement strong security measures to protect community data
• Access controls: Only authorized community members and designated Heritage Lab staff have access to community data
• Compliance: We follow relevant privacy laws and regulations, including those specific to Indigenous data

​

Implementation

​

Data Collection

• All data collection requires explicit community approval
• Communities determine what data can be collected and how
• Collection methods respect community protocols and cultural practices

​

Data Storage

• Data is stored securely with appropriate access controls
• Communities can request copies of their data at any time
• Storage locations and methods are disclosed to communities

​

Data Sharing

• No data is shared with third parties without explicit community consent
• Communities control who can access their data
• Data sharing agreements are clearly documented

​

Community Rights

• Access: Request access to all data collected from their community
• Correction: Request corrections to inaccurate data
• Deletion: Request deletion of their data
• Portability: Receive their data in a portable format
• Restriction: Restrict how their data is processed
• Objection: Object to certain uses of their data

​

Questions?