Data security needs to be higher on the aid agenda

Aid organizations must pay closer attention to the data privacy and security concerns of their constituents, argued Rahel Dette at the MERL Tech conference in Washington, DC, on October 16. The use of information communication technologies (ICTs) in aid – smartphone apps that collect field data, for example – can increase the efficiency and accountability of aid organizations, but they must understand the risks that come with digitally storing sensitive information on aid programming and vulnerable populations, Dette said.