TR Heydman
Recent events in the United States and abroad are forcing a reexamination of data privacy, security, and management practices, particularly those governing ownership, access, and storage. For Indigenous Peoples & researchers, these practices are directly tied to Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov), which affirms the rights of Indigenous communities to control the collection, access, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of their data. As digital systems become increasingly central to research and governance, conventional cloud platforms (Google, icloud, etc) raise significant concerns regarding surveillance, privacy, and unauthorized access. In response, the Indigenous Quantitative Working Group (IQWG) initiated the Safer Tools for Data Management project to identify digital tools that align more closely with IDSov principles. Our evaluation framework considered four key criteria: data security, versatility, ease of use, and cost. Our collaborative working group focuses on identifying tools that offer robust encryption, secure collaboration, and minimal third-party exposure, while remaining accessible and compatible with community-level research needs. Our recommendations highlight a suite of safer, low-cost, and user-friendly alternatives for data management and collaboration on documents and spreadsheets. These tools provide meaningful barriers against unauthorized access without requiring advanced technical skills or expensive infrastructure. This work goes beyond data storage, advancing Indigenous governance, digital self-determination, and research sovereignty. This project underscores that the choice of data tools is not only a technical decision but a political one central to protecting Indigenous knowledges, supporting self-determination, and ensuring that future data systems serve rather than exploit our communities.