Data can be a force for good or for harm. For organizations working alongside communities to secure land rights, protect natural resources, and advance social justice, that distinction isn’t abstract. It shows up every day in how data is collected, governed, shared, and used. 

That’s why on World Data Privacy Day (January 28), Cadasta is proud to announce our formal endorsement of Better Deal for Data (BD4D), a lightweight standard designed to rebuild trust in data practices across the social sector. 

Why This Moment Matters

During Data Privacy Week, the Better Deal for Data team is marking the milestone with the publication of a refined set of seven BD4D Commitments, the foundation for the BD4D v1.0 Standard launching this year. 

These commitments reflect eighteen months of deep listening, dozens of interviews, and working sessions with nonprofits, researchers, funders, and practitioners grappling with how to use data to deliver public good without exploiting the people and communities behind it. 

The BD4D’s answer is not longer privacy policies or opaque terms of service. It is a set of clear, plain-language commitments that organizations are willing to adhere to, and that communities can actually understand. 

This approach aligns closely with Cadasta’s own evolution toward stronger data stewardship, sovereignty, and governance across our global programs. As an organization that supports Indigenous Peoples and local communities with technology and training, we know trust is fragile and once lost, it is incredibly hard to rebuild. When land and spatial data are involved, poor data governance can carry real consequences, from exposing sensitive boundaries to increasing the risk of land disputes or harm to community members. 

The Seven BD4D Commitments: 

Organizations adopting BD4D make binding promises to the individuals and communities whose data they touch. 

Declaration: We make the following commitments to “You,” all of the individuals or organizations that we serve and whose data we touch. We make these commitments to You about “Your Data,” non-public information to You which we collect, analyze, store, and/or share:  

• Purpose: Use data to benefit people, communities, humanity, and the planet, not for private gain. 
• Ownership: Do not claim ownership of others’ data. 
• Control: Delete, control, or transfer data upon the data subject’s request. 
• Monetization: Do not sell or monetize data for providing it to third parties for compensation. 
• Protection: Steward data with care and comply with applicable data protection laws. 
• Research: Ensure ethical research practices, anonymization, and free access to resulting publications. 
• Binding: Be legally bound by these commitments, and require the same partners with whom the data is shared. 

Together, these commitments offer a “social license” for data, a shared understanding that data use must serve the collective benefit, not extract private value. 

From Principles to Practice: Why Cadasta Endorsed BD4D

Cadasta’s endorsement of the BD4D is not symbolic. It reflects work that has been long present inside our organization. Cadasta has been an active participant in BD4D’s development while advancing our own ethical data stewardship initiative. The BD4D Commitments closely mirror the principles we apply when managing sensitive land, boundary, and tenure data, particularly in contexts where misuse could expose communities to real risk. 

Better Deal for Data provides something the social sector has long lacked: a shared baseline for responsible data governance that does not require organizations to establish a new data trust or cooperative to participate. 

During Data Privacy Week, Cadasta reiterates our ethical data standards and practices and we  invite others across the social sector to join us.