Fundraising appeals are part of everyday life, both online and off.
Its a term I coined while writing the book to describenonprofits or researchers soliciting donations of data.
Perhaps surprisingly, dataraising is not entirely new.
40% off TNW Conference!
For example, Apple launchedResearch Kitin 2015.
To participate in phone-based research, people download an app for a study.
These actions generate data that shows signs of tremors in the hands and movement.
Android users can also participate in similar studies usingGoogles Health Studies App, which launched in 2020.
Civic science initiatives, also known ascitizen science initiatives, assist with everything fromwater qualitymonitors tobutterfly counts.
These initiatives rely on contributed data, as do manygenealogical websites.
Dataraising is also making it easier to document the history of specific communities.
In the United Kingdom, ride-share drivers can contribute their data to theWorkers Info Exchange.
The consumer advocacy organizationConsumer Reportsis dataraising by collectingassorted cable TV bills.
This data will help the groups sleuths evaluate corporate claims about broadband speed, access and prices.
Mozilla, the nonprofit maker of the Firefox web client, has launched a web client plug-in calledRally.
It makes it easy to share data over the internet with academic researchers.
AndKaiser Health NewsandNational Public Radiohave teamed up to conduct Bill of the Month investigations.
Because its used globally, cultural and linguistic competence is key.
What may seem lighthearted in one context can be deeply insulting elsewhere.
Digital data shared through online networks especially those dedicated topublic goods require careful attention to protect participant safety.
For example, people may want to donate data regarding how far they walked but not where they went.
Their goal is to enable equitable participation, make data security a priority and let individuals control their data.
In some cases, protecting the identity of those who donate data is critical.
Voluntary practices like those are valuable.
But in my view,the donation of datashould be regulated.
Megan Priceof Human Rights Data Analyst Group contributed to the ideas discussed in this article.
