Data trusts, if designed inclusively, offer the possibility for communities to decide how their data is gathered and used, and to ensure that the AI systems that impact their lives are trained on data that is relevant to, and representative of, them. This session will bring together an informal network of participants to explore new models of collective and inclusive data governance. Participants will work in groups to share the unique perspectives, interests, and community engagements that they bring to the issue of data governance. Each group will develop a scenario and plan for a data trust implementation, weighing considerations such as standards and data interoperability, decision-making approaches, policies, and the role of technology. In this session we hope to raise awareness about the value of data trusts and build an expanded and diverse community of potential contributors to collaborative data governance initiatives moving forward.
Ideally this session will bring together a diverse group of activists, students, community members, researchers, designers, and technologists who, at the close of the workshop, will share their potential models of data trusts that empower the communities they represent and provide a path towards inclusive and sustainable data ownership in the future. Our goal is for connections made at Mozfest to grow, expand and ignite new conversations for how data trusts can be used to shift power away from monopolistic tech companies towards self-governing, inclusive communities.
We're hoping that many efforts and discussions will continue after Mozfest. Share any ideas you already have for how to continue the work from your session.:Our goal is for this session to be just the beginning. We want it to serve as a conduit for participants with diverse expertise to engage with data communities exploring ethical and empowering data trusts. We hope the session will increase individual awareness of collective agency and spark exploration of more democratic approaches to data governance, particularly among professionals outside social impact spaces. Ideally, the facilitators and the participants will exit the workshop having a better understanding of the issues and challenges inherent in the development of a data trust and an expanded network of potential contributors to collaborative data governance initiatives. Additionally, this session is an opportunity for the facilitators to collaborate and build connections between their work that will continue and be strengthened by the connections made at Mozfest.
How will you deal with varying numbers of participants in your session?:The session format will begin as a whole-group discussion, and then will break into smaller groups if the number of participants is larger than 8. Regardless of size, we will open with introductions that allow all participants to share the interests, expertise, and/or community engagements that they bring to the conversation. We will address any additional accessibility needs at this time. After a brief presentation of a case study we’ll move to breakout groups to collaboratively discuss design and implementation of data trusts for specific data communities including prospective governance models, decision-making processes, and challenges. The facilitators will provide prompts that adopt multiple lenses and inclusive design perspective to spark the discussions.This flexible format will add value even if only 1 breakout group of people attends.
Rachel Bernstein, Senior Program Manager at Benetech, leads the product strategy, design and development schedule for our human rights programs including our Data for Inclusion platform.
Colin Clark is an artist, design researcher, and Associate Director of OCAD University’s Inclusive Design Research Centre. His work focuses on ways to cooperatively design creatve software systems.