Library Cover Episode 1_shadowed

Hear, HERE! | #3 Humanitarian Data – part one

Published:

July 2022

In episode #3 of Hear, HERE!, Balthasar Staehelin, then-Director of Digital Transformation and Data at ICRC, talks humanitarian data with HERE’s Val Hambye-Verbrugghen.

A cyberattack on ICRC systems in early 2022 led to half a million people’s data being breached, spotlighting the sector’s vulnerabilities. Risk management of similar incidents is not just a question of ramping up one’s cybersecurity by strengthening systems: there also needs to be discussion around international organisations’ data collection practices at large. What data should be collected? How do you ensure it is collected, stored, and used in a principled manner? The first of a two-parter, this episode also looks at the influence of national authorities, of GDPR and other regulatory frameworks regarding data on the practices of humanitarian organisations.

The GPPi report referenced in this podcast, ‘Research on Specific Risks or Constraints Associated with Data Sharing with Donors for Reporting Purposes in Humanitarian Operations’, is available here.