Checklist of key considerations to keep in mind in order to select a new digital data collection tool in a responsible way

This resource was originally published on the CartoBlog in 2021 by CartONG. It was transferred to the IM Resource Portal in May 2021. The CartoBlog will be decommissioned in early 2022.

The health crisis has prompted many organizations to adapt their data collection practices. These changes included using new tools, or being forced to scale up tools that they had only previously used only on a smaller scale. For instance, some organizations began collecting sensitive data such as Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) alerts using CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) software, when they had only previously done so through paper-based data collection. Others generalized the use of smartphones to all their data collection activities, which until then had been limited to monitoring infrastructures. 

The introduction of new tools or the scaling up of these tools necessarily raises data protection issues as soon as the data collected is personal and/or sensitive. However, it often turns out that local and international aid organizations do not have the resources (time, human resources, etc.) or even the skills to analyze tools from a data protection perspective.

This checklist therefore aims to provide some elements of popularization and awareness raising to help in the decision-making process of choosing a new data collection tool through a data protection lens.

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This project was co-funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the H2H Network’s H2H Fund, the latter supported by UK aid from the UK government. Nevertheless, the ideas and opinions presented in this document do not necessarily represent those of the H2H Network, UK aid and AFD.