← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10

Respectful data collection and Indigenous data sovereignty

The right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to own, control and decide how data about their communities is collected, used and shared, with consent and respect.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Acquiring and Validating Data — Module 50, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Data Management — Module 116

Understanding Respectful data collection and Indigenous data sovereignty in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10

What it does: A Boolean flag shows that the project has checked for community permission before any data is collected. Indigenous data sovereignty is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples having ownership and control of data about their communities. Knowledge is held in many ways, not only in spreadsheets and databases. These ways deserve respect and should not be treated as just another data source. Existing datasets can come with conditions. Respectful use means checking permissions, following them and acknowledging the source. Individual consent is not the same as community consent. Data about a community needs the agreement of the community through its proper processes.

Common mistakes: When the community has not agreed, data collection must not go ahead. This line should print the 'Wait for consent' message, not start collecting. Under Indigenous data sovereignty, the community owns data about itself. The owner should be set to community, not the researcher.

Class: _____________________  ·  Name: _____________________  ·  Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 255–329) and word search (Modules 226–329).

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Learning
Duo
A student wants to survey an Aboriginal community for a project. What should they do first?
Start collecting data and ask for permission laterAsk the community's leaders or representatives for permission
Matches
IF dataset is public THEN use it freely, no need to ask or acknowledge the community
↓
Public data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is not automatically free to use. Existing datasets should be used respectfully, with permission, acknowledgement and care about the community's wishes.
Applying
Meanings
Term
Indigenous data sovereignty
Meaning
The right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to own, control and decide how data about their communities is collected, used and shared, with consent and respect.
Practice
consent ← ask community leaders
Testing
Gaps
IF = "granted" THEN
Check Answer
Spots
3if not agreed:
4 print("Collect data")

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Quick Questions

1. A student wants to survey an Aboriginal community for a project. What should they do first?
A. Ask the community's leaders or representatives for permission ✓
B. Start collecting data and ask for permission later
Community consent comes first. Data about a community should only be collected with its permission and in a way it agrees to.
2. Which statement best describes Indigenous data sovereignty?
A. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples decide how data about their communities is collected, used and shared ✓
B. Any researcher who collects data about a community owns it and can share it freely
Indigenous data sovereignty is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples having ownership and control of data about their communities.
3. True or false: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their own ways of gathering and holding knowledge, such as stories, songs and Elders' teaching.
A. False
B. True ✓
Knowledge is held in many ways, not only in spreadsheets and databases. These ways deserve respect and should not be treated as just another data source.
4. A school project uses an existing dataset about a First Nations community. Which is the respectful choice?
A. Check how the data may be used and acknowledge the community as the source ✓
B. Use it however you like because it is already online
Existing datasets can come with conditions. Respectful use means checking permissions, following them and acknowledging the source.
5. Who should have a say in how data about a community is shared?
A. Only the person who collected it
B. The community the data is about ✓
The data is about the community, so the community should have a say in how it is used and shared. This is part of control and ownership.

Match the Pairs

Indigenous data sovereignty → The right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to own, control and decide how data about their communities is collected, used and shared
community consent → Asking the community's permission, through its recognised leaders or organisations, before collecting or using data about its people, culture or Country
Data about a community should only be collected after the community has agreed, and it should be recorded in the project plan → consent_from_community = TRUE
The community keeps control of who owns and can access its data, so access is limited to approved people → data_owner = "Community"
IF dataset is public THEN use it freely, no need to ask or acknowledge the community → Public data about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is not automatically free to use. Existing datasets should be used respectfully, with permission, acknowledgement and care about the community's wishes.
owner = "Researcher" // researcher decides how community data is shared → The researcher is wrongly set as the owner. Under Indigenous data sovereignty, the community owns and controls data about it and decides how it is collected, used and shared.

Key Term

Indigenous data sovereignty
The right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to own, control and decide how data about their communities is collected, used and shared, with consent and respect.

Fill in the Blanks

1. IF consent = "granted" THEN collect(data) END IF
Hint: Type the variable that records whether the community gave permission.
2. ALTER TABLE records ADD owner TEXT;
Hint: Type the data type used to store the name of the community that owns the data as words.
3. =IF(B2="Yes","Share","Do not share")
Hint: Type the spreadsheet function that picks a result depending on whether consent is recorded.
4. IF NOT consent_given THEN DISPLAY "Ask the community first" END IF
Hint: Type the logical operator that reverses a Boolean so the check runs when consent is missing.
5. SELECT dataset, community, permission FROM datasets WHERE permission = 'granted';
Hint: Type the SQL keyword that keeps only the rows that meet a condition, so only permitted data is used.

Spot the Error

Question 1
A asked = True
B agreed = False
C if not agreed:
D print("Collect data")
E else:
F print("Collect data")
Line D — When the community has not agreed, data collection must not go ahead. This line should print the 'Wait for consent' message, not start collecting.
Question 2
A community = "Palawa"
B owner = "researcher"
C controller = community
D print(owner, controller)
Line B — Under Indigenous data sovereignty, the community owns data about itself. The owner should be set to community, not the researcher.
Question 3
A permission = ask_owner()
B if permission == True:
C data = load("health.csv")
D credit = "me"
E print(credit)
Line D — When using an existing dataset, the community who owns it must be acknowledged. It should be credit = owner, not the researcher's own name.
Question 4
A plan = "share results"
B need_ok = False
C if need_ok:
D ask_community()
Line B — Community approval is always needed before sharing results. need_ok should be True so the program asks the community first.
Question 5
A consent = True
B if consent:
C start_project()
Line A — Consent must come from actually asking the community, not from assuming it. The line should be consent = ask_community().

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