Appearance
Applying the CARE principles for Indigenous data means governing collections so that Indigenous communities hold authority over data about them, the use delivers collective benefit, and the whole process is conducted responsibly and ethically. CARE — Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics — was published by the Global Indigenous Data Alliance in 2019 to sit alongside FAIR. Where FAIR asks "is this data usable?", CARE asks "should it be used, by whom, and for whose benefit?". You apply both together.
How do CARE and FAIR fit together?
Think of them as two axes. FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) is about the mechanics of data; CARE is about the relationships and purpose around it. A dataset can be flawlessly FAIR — open, well-described, machine-readable — and still be a CARE failure if it exposes sacred knowledge the community never agreed to share. The two are complementary, never a trade-off.
| Principle | FAIR asks | CARE asks |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | technical reuse | rights and benefit |
| Default stance | open by default | governed by community |
| Authority | data creator / repository | Indigenous community |
| Success metric | interoperability | collective benefit, respect |
Step 1: establish Authority to Control
Start by identifying the relevant community or nation and recognising that they, not your institution, hold authority over data about them. This is concrete, not symbolic: negotiate a governance agreement that lets the community set access tiers, approved uses, attribution, and the right to amend or withdraw. The pitfall is treating consultation as a tick-box; authority means the community can say no and that no holds.
Step 2: encode protocols with TK and BC Labels
Translate the governance agreement into metadata the catalogue can carry. Local Contexts' Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Biocultural (BC) Labels are standardised tags that travel with the record and tell every downstream user the community's protocols.
json
{
"identifier": "coll-1432",
"tkLabels": [
{"type": "TK Attribution", "text": "Cite the [Nation] as knowledge holders."},
{"type": "TK Community Use Only", "text": "Restricted to community members."}
],
"careStatus": "governed",
"contact": "[email protected]"
}Embed these in your dc:rights or a dedicated namespace so they survive export and harvesting.
Step 3: design for Collective Benefit
Ask, before any project starts, who gains. Collective benefit means the community sees value — capacity, repatriation of knowledge, economic or cultural return — not just the researcher's publication. Build deliverables for the community into the plan: a copy of the digitised material returned in an accessible format, training, or co-authorship. A project that extracts value and gives nothing back fails CARE even if every label is in place.
How do I apply CARE to colonial-era archives?
This is where it matters most, and where it is hardest. Records created about Indigenous peoples by colonial administrators carry no original consent and often hold ceremonial or genealogical knowledge. The workflow:
text
1. flag collections of Indigenous content (provenance + subject scan)
2. pause open access; default to restricted pending consultation
3. initiate community consultation, share an inventory
4. agree access tiers + TK Labels per item/series
5. apply controls in the access system; document the agreement
6. schedule review — agreements are living, not one-offDo not publish first and consult later; that order cannot be undone.
What does Responsibility and Ethics look like in practice?
Responsibility means actively building the relationship — sustained engagement, transparency about how data is used, and capacity-sharing — rather than a single sign-off. Ethics means centring Indigenous rights and wellbeing at every stage, including the right to be consulted on secondary uses you did not foresee. Concretely: keep a contact for the community in the record, route reuse requests to them, and review agreements periodically rather than treating them as permanent.
Where do CARE projects most often go wrong?
The recurring failures: treating CARE as a one-time consent form rather than ongoing governance; applying TK Labels without an actual community agreement behind them; assuming "open" is automatically ethical; and digitising sensitive material before consultation. Each is avoidable by making the community a co-decision-maker from the first planning meeting.
Key Takeaways
- CARE stands for Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics (GIDA, 2019).
- Apply CARE alongside FAIR: FAIR governs the data's mechanics, CARE governs rights and purpose.
- Authority to Control rests with the Indigenous community, enforced through a real governance agreement.
- Encode protocols with TK and BC Labels so they travel with the record.
- For colonial-era archives, restrict access and consult before publishing, never after.
- CARE is ongoing governance, not a one-time consent form — review agreements periodically.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the CARE principles stand for?
Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics. They were published by the Global Indigenous Data Alliance in 2019 to complement the FAIR data principles with a people-and-purpose lens.
How do CARE and FAIR work together?
FAIR makes data technically usable; CARE asks whether that use respects Indigenous rights and benefits the community. You apply both — FAIR governs the bytes, CARE governs the relationship and purpose.
Who holds 'Authority to Control' over Indigenous data?
The relevant Indigenous community or nation does, not the holding institution. In practice this means governance agreements that let the community set access, use, and attribution terms.
What are TK and BC Labels?
Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural Labels from Local Contexts are metadata tags that communicate community-specific protocols, permissions, and provenance directly in the catalogue record.
Can CARE apply to historical archival collections, not just new research data?
Yes. Colonial-era records about Indigenous peoples are exactly where CARE matters most, since the originals were created without consent and often hold sensitive cultural knowledge.