Indigenous Data Sovereignty (IDSov) reaffirms Indigenous Peoples’ rights to govern the collection, ownership, and application of their data. IDSov derives from tribes’ inherent right to govern their peoples, lands, and resources. This conception of data sovereignty positions Indigenous Peoples’ activities to govern data within Indigenous rights and human rights frameworks. In other words, IDSov accords with international declarations and covenants to which the US has become a signatory, such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Notably, IDSov contrasts with the mainstream understanding of data sovereignty, which is that data are subject to the laws of the nation in which it is stored. USIDSN posits that when data are about Indigenous people and communities, cultures and languages, lands and non-human relations, and governments, the data come under the control of the Indigenous Peoples to which they relate. USIDSN and the IDSov movement forefront Indigenous leadership and design within data policy, practice, and infrastructure.

The USIDSN unites advocates for Indigenous Data Sovereignty in the US and collaborates with international networks. The IDSov movement takes an inclusive view of Indigenous Peoples in the US, to include federally, state, un-recognized tribes, and peoples of Hawai’i, Guam, Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands. USIDSN provides resources and connections to data users, Indigenous leaders, information and communication technology providers, researchers, policymakers and planners, businesses, service providers, and community advocates.