Data Governance
Community-governed data sovereignty framework
Core Principles
Community Ownership
The Lao community retains ownership of all data collected. Data is held in trust, not owned by any institution.
Informed Consent
Culturally appropriate, language-accessible informed consent in written, oral, and visual formats in both Lao and English.
Differential Privacy
All aggregate queries apply calibrated noise to prevent re-identification, especially critical for a community of ~15,000.
Cell Suppression
Any data aggregation with fewer than 10 individuals is suppressed to prevent identification.
Algorithmic Fairness
All predictive models undergo regular fairness auditing with disparate impact testing across demographic subgroups.
Human-in-the-Loop
No AI/ML prediction triggers an intervention without human review. The Community Review Board can flag any prediction.
Right to Revoke
Participants can revoke consent at any time, in any language, through any method. Revocation is immediate and permanent.
Community IRB
The Community Institutional Review Board is a panel of Lao community members who oversee all data collection, research, and publication activities.
Composition
Minimum 7 members including elders, youth representatives, women, and non-English speakers
Authority
Can approve, deny, or request modifications to any data use proposal
Review Types
Data collection proposals, research use requests, publication review, algorithmic audit review
Privacy Protections
What We Protect
- ✓AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit
- ✓Differential privacy on all aggregate queries (epsilon = 1.0)
- ✓Automated PII removal before narrative storage
- ✓Role-based access control with full audit logging
- ✓Minimum cell size n=10 for any aggregation
What We Never Collect
- ✗Social security numbers
- ✗Immigration status details
- ✗Individual medical records
- ✗Financial account information
- ✗Biometric data
Data Sources
Community Surveys
Bilingual Lao/English surveys with oral response support
State Administrative Data
MN Dept of Health, Revenue, Education (de-identified)
Community Narratives
Text and audio submissions, anonymized before storage
Public Datasets
American Community Survey, Census, MN BRFSS
Partner Organizations
| Organization | Type | Data Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Lao Assistance Center of Minnesota | Community | Signed |
| Minnesota Department of Health | Government | Signed |
| Minnesota Department of Revenue | Government | Signed |
| University of Minnesota CURA | Academic | Signed |
| Hennepin Healthcare | Healthcare | Pending |
| Bush Foundation | Nonprofit | Pending |
| Coalition of Asian American Leaders | Nonprofit | Signed |