Playbook: The BD4D Standard

Monetization. We will not monetize Your Data by providing it to third parties for compensation.

The first of the BD4D Commitments speaks to their Purpose: that data will be used for good and not for profit. This Commitment expands on the monetary element of that Commitment.

• A BD4D Adopter must not actively sell any data it has collected that qualifies as Your Data, or that can be reasonably linked directly to the individuals or communities it serves.
• An organization must consider its data sharing practices to ensure that it does not make such data available as part of partnerships or transactions involving financial, in-kind, or quid pro quo consideration.
• If a BD4D Adopter shares aggregated or de-identified data for economic gain, it must clearly communicate that it does so to those whose data is involved.
  • For example, a BD4D Adopter operating a subscription-based data exchange platform which includes de-identified data subject to the BD4D Commitments must ensure that it has communicated such use to those whose underlying data (“Your Data”) is included in the platform. It must also ensure that its subscribers and partners have agreed (a) not to re-identify the data, and (b) to the applicable BD4D requirements, such as those set forth in the Binding commitment.

This Monetization commitment applies whenever an organization that has adopted the BD4D Commitments actively exchanges or shares Your Data, or makes it available to others who may directly profit from it.

• Sharing raw data about an organization’s beneficiaries in exchange for compensation or economic gain is not acceptable under this Commitment, even if those funds are intended to support the organization’s services. For example, sharing the personal contact or case information about a group of clients to a company that markets related services to those clients is not acceptable.
• Similarly, receiving payment or discounts for providing donor lists or email addresses to a company that specializes in lead generation is not acceptable under the Better Deal, nor is providing those lists in exchange for access to funder leads from that same company.
• Marketing partnerships that depend upon a third party placing a web beacon on an organization’s website specifically in order for that third party to track and monetize individual visitors’ behavior are not acceptable under this Commitment. Cases where the organization earns revenue based on purchase behavior of the people and organizations it serves, such as clicking a third-party link on the organization’s blog to buy a product the blog recommended, are allowable only if such links are clearly marked as compensated.

Data subject to the BD4D Commitments should not be treated as a data asset if an organization shuts down, receives investment funds, or enters into a joint venture, merger, or acquisition. While in some cases this may be legally mandated, a BD4D Adopter must make best efforts to notify those whose data is affected, and provide them adequate opportunity to delete their data prior to this type of transaction.

• All organizations require funding to operate. For many, this requires grant proposals, impact reporting, and third-party audits, many of which contain data about programs, beneficiaries, staff, or donors. Thus, this Commitment does not apply to anonymized, aggregated, or other processed data provided in order to receive funding, or fulfill grant requirements—as long as the data cannot be linked to a specific individual.
  • For example, reporting that “our programs delivered services to 25,000 children last year,” or “more than 100 donors contributed nearly $1MM during our general campaign,” are acceptable under this Commitment.
• This Commitment does not apply to identifiable data that may be provided to auditors or attorneys, who are legally obligated to keep such data confidential.
• This Commitment does not apply when an individual, organization, or community voluntarily chooses to share their own data for their own benefit, including economic rewards.
  • For example, a rancher might elect to share information about their rangeland, herd movement, forage, and grazing patterns in exchange for payment to them or their community, or to receive services using that data. In general, the BD4D supports data sharing that economically benefits parties meeting the definition of “You,” where the party in question is actively choosing to share such data.
• Furthermore, an organization that facilitates such an exchange may retain a reasonable fee to defray their costs of providing this assistance or service, as long as its primary objective is to benefit the individual or community and not private enrichment or profit.
• This Commitment does not apply to datasets which include data about individuals or organizations that is publicly available and responsibly sourced.