Sharing Information Responsibly

Safeguarding information while enabling collaboration requires methods that respect privacy, ensure accuracy, and sustain trust. Privacy-Enhancing Technologies create conditions where data becomes useful without being exposed, aligning innovation with responsibility. When companies exchange sensitive information, the tension between insight and confidentiality becomes evident. Cryptographic PETs apply advanced encryption that allows data to be analyzed securely, while distributed approaches such as federated learning ensure that knowledge can be shared without revealing raw information. The practical benefits are visible in sectors such as banking, healthcare, supply chains, and retail, where secure sharing strengthens operational efficiency and trust. At the same time, adoption requires balancing privacy, accuracy, performance, and costs, which makes strategic choices essential. A thoughtful approach begins with mapping sensitive data, selecting the appropriate PETs, and aligning them with governance and compliance frameworks. This is where technological innovation meets organizational responsibility, creating the foundation for trusted collaboration. #PrivacyEnhancingTechnologies #DataSharing #DigitalTrust #Cybersecurity

In meetings, you might hear phrases like "the data speaks for itself" or "we’re just looking at the facts." These statements can give the impression that data offers a neutral view of reality. But data is never completely neutral. Here’s why. Data reflects a world shaped by existing systems of power. Disparities in education, health, and incarceration show how these systems' social structures are maintained. However, it’s common to interpret disparities in social data as individual failures or successes. For example, someone’s health is often seen as a matter of personal responsibility. Yet no matter which data metric we use—whether deprivation, income, or education—there is a strong social SYSTEM gradient. The poorer you are, or the less education you have, or the more deprived your neighbourhood, the more likely you are to die younger and sicker. This pattern holds across almost every condition or disease. It is not shaped by individuals, but institutional systems of power. So, if you share data about people and communities, you have more responsibility than you might realise. You have the power to influence your peers, government decisions, and ultimately public opinion. By explaining the conditions that shape data, we make it harder for inequities to go unnoticed. To use data responsibly, we have to recognise its dual role. Data can be a mirror that reflects inequality and a magnifier that can make it worse if misinterpreted. ---- Kia ora, I'm Kat 👋 I wrote The Data Storyteller's Handbook. My next book exposes how powerful systems like racism, sexism, and classism shape not only our world but the data we rely on every day.

Navigating the Maze of Truth In a world where alternative facts often muddy the waters of truth, how can individuals and communities stay resilient and well-prepared for the challenges they face? As misinformation spreads and reliable news sources are sometimes overshadowed by sensationalism, maintaining resilience becomes not just a matter of personal vigilance but a collective responsibility. 1. Develop Critical Thinking Skills - In an era where alternative facts can easily infiltrate public discourse, honing critical thinking skills is essential. This means questioning the credibility of sources, cross-referencing information with multiple reputable outlets, and analyzing the motives behind the information being presented. Encourage a mindset that doesn’t just accept information at face value but actively seeks verification. 2. Prioritize Media Literacy - Educate yourself and others about media literacy. Understanding how media works, recognizing bias, and differentiating between fact-based journalism and opinion pieces are crucial skills. Schools, workplaces, and community organizations should incorporate media literacy training to empower individuals to navigate complex information landscapes effectively. 3. Seek Out Reliable Sources - Identify and rely on reputable news sources that adhere to strict journalistic standards. These sources prioritize accuracy, fairness, and transparency. Create a diverse media diet by following established institutions and experts in relevant fields. Avoid echo chambers by engaging with a variety of perspectives while focusing on sources known for their reliability. 4. Verify Information Before Sharing - Before sharing information on social media or within your community, take a moment to verify its authenticity. Use fact-checking websites and tools to confirm details and debunk myths. By being a responsible consumer and sharer of information, you contribute to reducing the spread of misinformation and helping others stay informed. 5. Advocate for Transparency and Accountability - Support and advocate for transparency and accountability in media and information sources. Encourage media outlets and public figures to adhere to high standards of accuracy and honesty. Demand accountability from those who spread misinformation and promote a culture of truthfulness in public discourse. Our collective resilience depends on our ability to discern truth from fiction. Equip yourself with the tools to critically evaluate information and promote media literacy in your community. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and together, let’s build a more resilient and informed society. #StayResilient #CriticalThinking #MediaLiteracy #VerifyBeforeYouShare #TruthMatters

How transparent should we be with our people insights? This is a question I hear from leaders all the time, and, like any good social scientist, my answer is: it depends. Let’s put aside the non-negotiables—those bound by law or confidentiality. Beyond that, there’s a wide spectrum of how companies handle sharing people data insights, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Here are a few key things I always consider: 1️⃣ Data Source Matters: If employees are giving feedback through engagement surveys or focus groups, it’s crucial to share those insights back with them to increase trust, accountability, and future participation. 2️⃣ Know Your Audience: Even if you’re talking about the same metric, you should communicate about it differently to different audiences. Executives often want to know about the high-level trends and strategic insights while the company at large may want to hear about how it directly affects their day-to-day work. You can also consider sharing the information with leaders first, so they are equipped with extra context. 3️⃣ Consider Sensitivity: If the data touches on delicate issues—like potential layoffs, some diversity metrics, or areas where the company isn’t performing well—it’s essential to approach these topics with care. Consider the risks and who needs to know in order to act on the information. Transparency doesn’t mean sharing everything; it means sharing thoughtfully. 4️⃣ Look at Precedent: Consistency in communication builds credibility. Suddenly withholding information you’ve shared in the past can raise red flags. On the other hand, if transparency is new to your organization, you might start by sharing smaller insights and gradually build up to more comprehensive data. 5️⃣ Clarify the Purpose: Is it to inform, to spark action, or to inspire change? Being clear on this will help you decide how much to share, with whom, and how to frame it. 6️⃣ Anchor to Usefulness: A lot of what we study in People Analytics can be helpful for employees to know. How can managers increase psychological safety? How can employees get higher quality feedback from their colleagues? How can distributed teams collaborate best? Whenever possible, I like to share these learnings with employees so they can benefit from our data-informed wisdom. My default? Lean into transparency. In the absence of data, human nature is to make up a narrative—and the stories we create are often far worse than the truth. When appropriate, sharing our knowledge broadly can empower employees and leaders alike to work with a greater shared understanding of reality. Being transparent doesn’t mean sharing everything with everyone, but it does require being purposeful, considerate, and consistent about what you share.

BEYOND QUALITY: SECURING & GOVERNING DATA FOR ETHICAL USE A few weeks ago, I shared my experience tackling data quality issues in the oil & gas industry focusing on identifying and resolving inconsistencies, missing values, and compliance risks. But fixing data quality was only the first step. The bigger challenge was ensuring that this data remained secure, ethically shared, and regulatory compliant. As part of my project, I worked on a data-sharing scenario where an industry body required datasets to be provided to academic researchers. The issue? These datasets contained sensitive business information that couldn't be exposed carelessly. Upstream data had to align with OGA & NUPRC regulations, while corporate data needed to meet GDPR compliance to protect customer information. The risks of getting this wrong were significant: regulatory fines reaching €20M (GDPR) or £1M (OGA), potential competitive threats, and a loss of business trust due to weak governance. To address these challenges, I pseudonymized and anonymized sensitive data, ensuring that well IDs and customer records were masked while still retaining analytical value. I also encrypted files using AES-256, stored them securely with robust access controls and audit logs, and enforced Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and secure file transfers to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, I drafted a Data Use Agreement (DUA) between bp and the University of Aberdeen to outline the terms for ethical and secure data usage. Working alongside my talented course mate Amarachi Grace Agiri, PMP® throughout this project has enriched the experience. Even though we were on different teams, our shared commitment to data quality and security made the experience truly enriching. This experience reinforced a crucial lesson: data quality is only as good as the security and governance surrounding it. It’s not just about accuracy, it’s about protecting and responsibly managing data in a way that ensures compliance and maintains trust. Now, I’m eager to dive deeper into enterprise-wide data governance strategies, exploring how security, compliance, and automation can be seamlessly integrated into industrial workflows. More importantly, I’m curious. How does your industry handle data security and governance? Let’s discuss! 👇 #DataQuality #DataSecurity #DataGovernance #OilAndGas #PetroleumData #GDPR #ISO27001 #Compliance #BigData #DigitalTransformation #EnergySector

Data is at the heart of how civil society organizations operate and coordinate their efforts. To effectively address the complex challenges we face, understanding and managing data is crucial. On Tuesday, our TechSoup Talks 2025 series focused on data governance. We heard insightful discussions from Fabio Fraticelli Fradicelli of Social Techno, TechSoup Italia , and Héc Maldonado-Reis, MS, AM, MPH of Tech Impact. Here are five things I took away from their talks on data governance: ✅ Data Governance is a Framework: Data governance goes beyond managing data. It includes policies, operational, and programmatic decisions to ensure data is valid, secure, replicable, and responsibly used. Data governance involves strategic thinking about implementation, evaluation, and the people and values associated with the data. ✅ Clarity on Roles and Responsibilities is Essential: Defining who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed regarding data collection, sharing, and leveraging processes is foundational for effective data governance. This clarity, even for small organizations, can be established through working groups or designated data stewards. ✅ Processes and Standards Drive Data Quality: Informal data management, often relying on disparate spreadsheets, can make it difficult to identify patterns and measure impact. Establishing basic guidelines and internal protocols for data collection and hygiene are critical steps toward reliable and consistent data. ✅ Purpose and Impact Must Be Clear: Organizations need to clearly define why they are collecting data – whether for internal decision-making, improving management control, increasing awareness about their mission, or building powerful counter-narratives based on evidence. A clear purpose ensures data is useful and impactful. ✅ Grapple with Data Justice and Power Dynamics: Data governance must consider historical and current power dynamics, focusing on who makes decisions and interprets information. It's vital to engage communities in understanding how their data is used and understood.  This rigor builds trust and ensures relevance in reporting. The two talks highlighted that significant progress in data governance doesn't necessarily require large budgets, especially with the increasing accessibility of AI-based tools that can assist with data cleaning and consistency. These steps are vital for building resilient civil society organizations. I've dropped links to the recordings of both talks in the comments below. The TechSoup Talks 2025 series continues all week, focusing on digital security, data governance, misinformation, counter-narratives, and collaboration. #TechForGood #CivilSociety #Nonprofits #NPTech #DataGovernance #Philanthropy #DigitalTransformation

Negotiation is not a poker game. Here’s why you should ditch the poker face. Ever been told to keep your cards close to your chest in a negotiation? Me too. However, for 30 years I have been teaching the opposite. ↳ Sharing information is the real game-changer. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘆 The classic advice says: "Don't reveal too much." But that approach often backfires. ↳ It leads to missed opportunities and suboptimal deals. I experienced this firsthand during negotiations with an Executive Training Organization. We could've played hardball about our daily fees, but our true priority was gaining exposure to executives from multiple corporations. By sharing this, we unlocked a more valuable opportunity: ↳ Access to the participants' list and the freedom to contact them directly. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Experts recommend you share your interests, priorities, and preferences. Doing so: 𝟭. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.  ↳ Trust encourages your counterpart to reciprocate, creating a more transparent environment. 𝟮. 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴.  ↳ Both parties need comprehensive information to propose viable solutions. 𝟯. 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.  ↳ The potential gains from shared information far outweigh the risks. The only cards you should keep close to your chest: → Your Reservation Point (your limits). → Your urgency. → The negative consequences of your fallback alternative. 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 Sure, sharing info can seem risky. The fear is that it could be used against you. But in my experience, and supported by research, the value created usually compensates for potential losses. Negotiation isn't a zero-sum game. Transparency can turn adversaries into collaborators. Stop fearing transparency. Start embracing it. You'll gain more than you think. What is your take on this critical matter? Pro-sharing or against-sharing info? Let me know below in the comments. #negotiationbydesign #transparency #trust #negotiation

I saw a post on Twitter recently that really made me pause. A woman had shared a picture of her child but later deleted it after noticing that people were bookmarking the post, which made her wonder why anyone would want to save a picture of her child. Even if some of those bookmarks were harmless, her decision to take them down was a smart one and a reminder of something we all need to think about more often, which is that privacy online matters a lot. We live in a time where sharing is second nature. A new baby, a fun trip, a promotion at work, it’s all out there in a matter of seconds. We often share parts of our lives online without fully considering who might be watching or why. But here’s the thing: not everything needs to be shared, especially when it involves personal or sensitive details. One crucial concept to understand here is personal identifiable information (PII). PII is any detail that can be used to identify you as an individual. It can be categorized into two types:📍 Non-sensitive PII, which includes information that is publicly accessible and generally not harmful if exposed. For example, your name, birthday, and gender. But in the wrong hands, they can still be used to build a bigger picture about you. 📍Sensitive PII involves information that is private and should be carefully protected. For example, bank verification details (BVN), driver's license, credit card details, medical records, etc. This is where things get serious, and this kind of information shouldn’t be floating around the internet, as it can open the door to identity theft, fraud, or worse. Not Everything Belongs on the Internet. It’s okay to be private. In fact, it’s smart. You can still be active online, share valuable content, and connect with others without giving away your entire life story. Sometimes, sharing just a part of the picture is enough to get your message across. Here are a few simple things you can do to protect your privacy: 📍Pause before you post. Ask yourself if the information really needs to be online. 📍Be curious. If someone’s asking for personal info, think: do they really need this? 📍Clean up regularly. Delete old posts that no longer serve a purpose. 📍Monitor your digital presence. Search your name online regularly to see what information is publicly available about you. Your digital footprint tells a story, and that story is valuable. But if you’re not paying attention, it can also make you vulnerable. Just as we protect ourselves from thieves in the physical world, we must be cautious of digital criminals too. These individuals don't need to point at you to cause harm. They can be miles away and still steal from you just by exploiting the information you carelessly shared. So, before you make that next post, ask yourself:Is this information really necessary to share? And is it worth the potential cost to my privacy? If this post resonated with you, share it with someone who needs the reminder.

🧭Navigating Through the Fog of Misinformation 🗣️A Call for Integrity in Cybersecurity 😡The image shared is one of many that showed up in my feed recently around the tragic incident involving a cargo ship and the Francis Scott Key Bridge and stirred a whirlwind of concerns. ☢️Amidst this, a narrative quickly emerged on social media suggesting a cyberattack was the cause, even before any facts were established. ⬇️This rush to judgment not only muddies the waters of public understanding but also poses a profound challenge to the cybersecurity profession. 🌉 The incident itself is a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in our physical and digital infrastructures. However, it also highlights a different kind of vulnerability… the susceptibility of public discourse to misinformation. 🔍 The FUD Factor Fear, uncertainty, and doubt have long been tools in the arsenal of those looking to exploit situations for sensationalism or personal gain. ❌When these tactics infiltrate professional discourse, especially in fields as crucial as cybersecurity, they undermine the very foundation of trust and credibility we strive to build. 🚢 Ethical Responsibility As cybersecurity professionals, our role extends beyond protecting systems and data. We are also guardians of truth in the cyber realm. 🤦♂️Spreading unverified information, especially in the wake of potentially tragic events, not only distorts public perception but also detracts from the legitimate threats and challenges our industry faces. 💬 In response to this, I urge my colleagues and the broader cybersecurity community to; 1️⃣ Pause and Verify before sharing information, especially in the context of breaking news or emerging threats. 2️⃣ Educate and Inform about the real risks and challenges in cybersecurity, rather than amplifying unverified or sensational claims. 3️⃣ Promote Transparency and accountability in our communications, ensuring that the information we disseminate is accurate and evidence-based. As we navigate through these challenging times, let’s commit to being beacons of reliability and integrity. 💪The strength of our cybersecurity community lies in our collective ability to foster informed dialogue, resist the allure of sensationalism, and uphold the highest standards of professionalism. #CyberSecurity #EthicsInTech #Misinformation #ProfessionalIntegrity

Sharing that document or technical paper on LinkedIn? Think before you post, do you have permission! In today’s digital age, the temptation to share technical documents on social platforms is strong. Yet many of these materials are company confidential. They belong to the organisation that created them, not the individual. Sharing without approval is a breach of trust, a breach of contract, and a risk to both the business and your own career. Confidentiality extends beyond well files and reports. Training material, internal guidelines, and presentations are often proprietary and must not be shared outside approved channels. The correct way to contribute is through sanctioned publications—technical papers with professional bodies—where approvals, peer review and context ensure knowledge is shared responsibly. Even then, such papers are copyrighted by the publishing organisations, and reposting without permission remains unethical. As engineers, we are entrusted with information because we are expected to act with integrity. Ethical knowledge-sharing builds credibility; careless posting risks everything. #EngineeringEthics #Confidentiality #KnowledgeSharing #ProfessionalIntegrity #OilAndGas #Copyright