RightsCon Tunis 2019

Participants will gain an understanding of what data trusts are and the problems they can potentially solve. Participants should also expect a discussion on the benefits of viewing data trusts as a form of private law regulation and fiduciary governance that is capable of adapting to the speed of technological innovation. The possible role for government and public institutions in creating an enabling environment for data trusts, in particular, regarding the need to endow citizens with digital rights and responsibilities that support their operation will also be evaluated. The session will explore the conditions under which data trusts can provide individuals with a greater measure of control over their personal data; create transparency regarding data transactions; increase access to data and foster innovation; address asymmetries of knowledge and power that exist between corporations, the government and individuals; and enhance the protection of individual privacy and other human rights. The Session will draw on concrete examples of data trust creation, including Sidewalk Labs’ proposal to use a civic data trust as part of their smart city development in the City of Toronto, to provide participants with an analysis of data trust’s potential benefits and shortcomings.