How data is collected shapes whether it can be used legitimately — and whether people trust you.
Be Clear About Purpose
Decide what the data is for before collecting it, and tell people plainly. Using data later for an unrelated purpose may breach privacy law and trust.
Consent and Choice
Where consent is the basis for collection, make it informed, specific and freely given — not buried in terms and conditions. Make it as easy to withdraw as to give.
Collect Only What You Need
Every extra field is a privacy risk and a security liability. Ask whether each item is necessary for the stated purpose.
Fair Treatment of Participants
- Pay people fairly for data work such as labelling and surveys.
- Avoid exploiting vulnerable groups.
- Engage communities when collecting data about them, and share benefits where possible.
Scraping and Public Data
"Publicly available" isn't the same as "free to use for anything". Respect terms of service, robots directives, copyright and privacy expectations, and avoid collecting personal data unnecessarily.
Secure It From the Start
Protect data as it's collected: encryption, access controls and retention limits.
Children and Sensitive Categories
Data about children, health, ethnicity, religion, sexuality and similar categories needs extra care and often explicit legal grounds.
Document the Collection
Record how, when and under what terms data was collected. Future users need this to know what uses are permitted.