Objective The current exponential increase in the use of digital communication technologies in low and middle income countries has the potential to make their citizens a rich mine of information about health interventions, human mobility, conflict and violence, technology adoption, communication dynamics and financial behaviour. However, the default mode is currently for this to happen without their informed consent or involvement, and without ethical and normative frameworks to ensure data protection or to weigh the risks against the benefits. This proposed research will explore the implications of ‘data for development' – the use of new types of digital data, for example from mobile phone traces or social media activity, to shape development interventions by governments and international institutions. The research is specifically concerned with how the availability of such data is drawing new actors and institutions into the field of international development; how development organisations are dealing with the ethics of privacy and data protection in this context, and how the potential benefits of knowing more about developing-country populations are being weighed against the risks of being able to track and identify individuals and groups. The research will take an ethnographic perspective focusing on three groups: the individuals producing the data, the organisations and institutions using it, and the policymakers and technology firms dealing with the technical and regulatory aspects of data production and storage. Through three case studies it will look at such issues as the framing of privacy in a developing-country context; models for participatory consent on the part of users; location-specific aspects of technology design and architectures, and the theoretical debates emerging around 'data for development' as a new facet of technology in the international development sphere. Fields of science natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer securitydata protectionengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringinformation engineeringtelecommunicationsmobile phones Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF - Marie-Curie Action: "Intra-European fellowships for career development" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF) Coordinator UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM EU contribution € 175 974,60 Address SPUI 21 1012WX Amsterdam Netherlands See on map Region West-Nederland Noord-Holland Groot-Amsterdam Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Jose Komen (Mrs.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data