Playbook: The BD4D Standard

Research. If we or a trusted partner do research based on Your Data, we will follow best practices around the anonymization of personal data, and published research papers or reports will be made available to You for free.

If we or a trusted partner do research based on Your Data, we will follow best practices around the anonymization of personal data, and published research papers or reports will be made available to You for free.

• Researchers associated with an organization that has adopted the BD4D Commitments must follow then-current accepted best practices for anonymization and de-identification of any nonpublic or other data related to an individual person which is used in its research.
• Organizations should consider which data is actually required, and how different data practices may affect risk. For example, collecting location data may not need to be precise, as it can often be linked to an individual person. Similarly, the practice of data aggregation requires well-populated categories to be effective, because even with aggregate data there is a risk of re-identification.
• BD4D Adopters who are collaborating with external research affiliates or partners must ensure that those “trusted partners” have either (a) adopted the BD4D Commitments themselves, or (b) have agreed to similar terms under a formal agreement governing data sharing, in accordance with the BD4D Binding commitment. These may include other nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, think tanks, and for-profit companies.
• Release of anonymized data is not allowed if there is any possibility of re-identification (which is often the case with detailed data). If there is such a risk, such data must not be released publicly, and any third party given access to such data must agree to not attempt to re-identify the data subjects.
• The free access requirement can be met by open access publication, or sharing on a public website, as long as the resulting publication can easily be found by data subjects. Otherwise, organizations must provide research subjects with a channel to directly request published papers or reports.
• In general, a BD4D Adopter should be transparent with its data stakeholders about the research it conducts based on their data, and why this research is beneficial to its community or society at large.

• This Commitment applies to publications or reports that are published externally, or shared openly with third parties, by a BD4D Adopter. It does not require a BD4D Adopter to generate new reports or publications.
• It also applies to research conducted by an affiliate, partner, or recipient of data from a BD4D Adopter, if that research is carried out using data that is subject to the BD4D Commitments.

• In the case of research that is being conducted by a BD4D Adopter under Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight, the research data practices required in this Commitment would not apply if the IRB requirements conflict with those contained in the Better Deal for Data. In this case, all other BD4D Commitments still apply, and the research organization must still make published research papers or reports available to those whose data was used in the study.
• This Commitment does not apply to research that is conducted only for internal usage (such as internal program improvement or impact measurement), or that is only shared confidentially with external program evaluation consultants or auditors.
• This Commitment does not apply to research conducted solely with public data, secondary sources, or other data that is not subject to the BD4D Commitments. For example, a research study or review article analyzing or interpreting others’ existing research on a topic, which does not include primary research sources under BD4D, would not be subject to this Commitment.