“The need for common standards, reliable norms and accessible institutional infrastructure has galvanized people around the world, and their leaders, to act on the importance of, and opportunity for, international data governance.”
Sean McDonald in his article “Reclaiming Data Trusts”
Data has become one of the world’s most valuable assets, but we are still in the early stages of developing governance frameworks that foster innovation while building and maintaining trust. CIGI’s work on the development of data standards and the role for a data trust in modern governance offers solutions to this dilemma.
The current lack of data standards is a significant barrier to growth for Canada’s data analytics sector. Senior Fellow Michel Girard argues standardization has the potential to increase competitiveness and set benchmarks for data governance and security. Complacency would exacerbate threats to safety and security, fundamental human rights, public institutions and democracy.
Public trust will be vital to the sustainability of the data economy. CIGI has contributed to the discussion on what, exactly, a data trust is, and how it can be used. A recent federal proposal to modernize Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act cited Senior Fellows Bianca Wylie and Sean McDonald’s approach to defining the role of a data trust.