Start With the Purpose and Actual Information
A useful sharing decision says what information, for which task, to whom, under what conditions and with whose authority. It can produce different answers for different parts of one file. This tutorial is an OpenAid application of source guidance, not a universal permission test or a security assessment.
The OCHA/JIPS note on responsible sharing, December 2020, printed pages 3-6, addresses non-personal humanitarian data. Its four factors are utility, sensitivity, organizational capacity and governance. It compares open, limited and bilateral access as well as ways of providing value without transferring underlying data. Its examples of tools are historical, not current recommendations or proof that a particular platform is safe.
Define the Request Before Choosing a Channel
Write the request in task terms. "We need to plan staffing for next week" is more useful than "send the dataset." Ask which fields, detail and timeliness are necessary. Identify whether the request includes personal information or sensitive operational information, using the classification explanation. Route that question to the responsible specialist if staff cannot determine it confidently.
Check the recipient's role, intended uses, onward access and practical ability to maintain agreed controls. A familiar partner name or password-protected link does not answer those questions. Find the applicable policy, agreement and permission rather than importing a rule from another operation.
Compare Three Alternatives in an Invented Case
This is a fictional case. An NGO has an internal file of appointment counts, detailed service times and participants' contact information. A planning group asks how to schedule additional staff. The group does not need individual contact information. A public information team also wants a summary of service pressure. No sharing authorization or disclosure-risk assessment is supplied.
| Alternative | Potential Use in This Case | Conditions to Resolve Before It Can Be Selected |
|---|---|---|
| Public summary with broad, independently checked trends | Could explain a general staffing problem without distributing the original file | Determine whether detail or combination with other published information exposes people, small groups or operations; obtain the applicable publication decision |
| Restricted operational summary for named planning roles | Could support scheduling with more detail than the public summary | Confirm necessity, permitted use, recipients, onward-sharing restrictions, access controls and a responsible owner |
| No underlying file transfer; provide an approved answer or defer | Could answer a narrow question while the original file stays with its custodian | Check that the answer itself is safe; state what cannot yet be answered and who will resolve the decision |
Removing the contact column is an initial minimization step in this exercise. It does not prove that the remaining table is anonymous or safe. Exact times and small-area detail may still expose people or operations. If the recipient insists on unnecessary fields, the team asks for the decision need rather than treating insistence as authorization.
Record a Bounded Provisional Outcome
An adequate working record for this case is: "No original file is authorized for transfer. The program and data owners will assess a minimum planning summary for named roles and a separate broad public explanation. Contact information is excluded from both proposed outputs. Current policy, publication authority, recipient controls and disclosure risk remain unresolved. The requester will receive the decision or an explanation of the delay through the approved channel."
This is a provisional outcome, not a disguised approval. Add the actual decision, version and conditions only when the authorized owner supplies them. If no shareable output is possible, say so and identify any safe alternative that has actually been approved.
Handle Urgency Without Inventing Permission
Urgency changes the consequence of delay, but it does not tell a general staff member which law, organizational authority or exception applies. Escalate the concrete decision, the minimum information required and the time available through the organization's approved route. Seek a documented specialist or authorized decision proportionate to the circumstances. Do not declare that consent always solves the issue, or that a signed agreement alone makes an unsafe disclosure acceptable.
Close and Revisit the Decision
Record the selected output and audience, purpose, scope, owner, conditions, review trigger and unresolved issues in the data-risk screen. Keep handling, retention and incident responsibilities with their actual owners. Check that the shared version matches the decision.
A request to publish, add fields, link another dataset or admit a new recipient reopens the question. Restricted access is a chosen arrangement with continuing conditions, not a permanent description of a file. See why access does not imply reuse before adapting an approved operational summary into another product.