Data, Caregiving, and the Ethical Control

@todmassa@SCHEVResearch Not sure if this was your intent but see parallels to what we as data caretakers often balance to manage the chaos

— John Hetts (@jjhetts) January 23, 2017

This was in response to the tweet pushing Fascism and the Caregiver.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? Those of us with the responsibility of managing large quantities of the personal data of other people constantly think about control. We have legal and ethical requirements to control access, to establish and maintain limits, and use best practices (such least privilege access).  Whether we are talking about the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA),  Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or any of the dozens of other federal and state privacy laws.

We also have the responsibility to encourage use of the data, but always appropriate use. Use that adds value to the lives/livelihoods of those we serve…