Data Protection in Humanitarian Action Responding to Crises in a Data-Driven World

Foreword
Wojciech Wiewiórowski

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Data Protection in Humanitarian Action: Responding to Crises in a Data-Driven World
Ana Beduschi, Massimo Marelli and Aaron Martin

Section 1: Setting the Scene

1. The Contribution of Data Protection to Humanitarian Action: Ten Years of Data Protection in Humanitarian Action
Massimo Marelli

Section 2: Humanitarian Action in the Digital Age

Section 2.1 An Evolving Humanitarian Space

2. From Disconnected to Connected: How Ten Years of Increasing Connectivity for Crisis-Affected Communities Has Increased the Importance of Personal Data Protection
Betty (Jia Li) Wang and John Warnes

3. The Challenges of Building RedSafe, a Secure Digital Humanitarian Platform: An Unsafe Journey?
Romain Bircher

4. The Logic of Biometrics and Organisational Accountability
Quito Tsui

Section 2.2 Understanding the Digital Transformation of the Humanitarian Space through Data Protection

5. Digital Transformation and the Humanitarian-Development Transition: The Role of Digital Public Infrastructure and Data Protection
Emrys Schoemaker and Aaron Martin

6. Data Protection and Independence in an Age of Hyperconnectivity
Martin Searle

7. Data Protection as a Foundational Pillar and Key Enabler of Trusted Digital Transformation
Charlotte Lindsey Curtet

Section 3: Data Protection at the Crossroads

Section 3.1 Evolution of Data Protection and Humanitarian Action in International Law and Diplomacy

8. Data Protection Regulation and International Humanitarian Organisations: Revisiting the Origins, Nature and Significance of the UN Guidelines on Personal Data Regulation (1990)
David Erdos

9. Legal Tensions: Insights from UN-EU Correspondence on EU Data Protection Law and the Role of Privileges and Immunities in Enhancing Personal Data Protection
Christina Vasala Kokkinaki

10. The Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard to the Processing of Personal Data (Convention 108+) and International Organisations
Jean-Philippe Walter and Sophie Kwasny

11. Data Protection, Humanitarian Action, and Global Regulatory Cooperation: The Role of the Global Privacy Assembly
Catherine Lennman and Florence Dubosc

Section 3.2 Data Protection Law in Humanitarian Practice

12. Data Protection in the Framework of Restoring Family Links Humanitarian Activities: Code of Conduct and Resolutions
Emily Knox

13. By the Book, Beyond, and Backwards? Ethical Considerations on the 2022 Data Breach Affecting the Family Links Network of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
Natalie Klein-Kelly

14. Growing Data Protection Maturity in Humanitarian Action: Changes in the Understanding of Key Concepts
Dogu Han Buyukyagcioglu

15. Data Sharing Between Humanitarian Organisations and Donors: Accountability, Transparency, and Data Protection in Principled Humanitarian Action
Larissa Fast, Stuart Campo and Gilles Cerutti

Section 4: Regional and Local Perspectives on Data Protection

16. “Withdraw Your Data”: How Data Protection Legislation Can Reshape Humanitarian Action
Timothy Charlton and Cassie Jiun Seo

17. Context Matters: Towards a Framework for Understanding Perceptions of Data Protection in Humanitarian Aid
Timothy Charlton, Julia Feigen, and Silvia Pelucchi

18. Data Protection and the Asia-Pacific Region: Zooming into Humanitarian Action
Hiroshi Miyashita

Section 5: Building Capacity and Addressing Challenges Ahead

19. Teaching Data Protection as Trust-Building
Cosimo Monda and Cristina Teleki

20. Data Protection in the Times of Artificial Intelligence: Towards a Digital Humanism
Wojciech Wiewiórowski with the contributions from Olivier Matter and Michèle Dubrocard

Biography

Ana Beduschi is a Full Professor of Law with a Personal Chair at the University of Exeter. Her research and teaching focus on international human rights law, technology (including big data and artificial intelligence), data protection, and international migration and refugee law.

Massimo Marelli is the Head of the Data Protection Office at the International Committee of the Red Cross. He is also a member of the Advisory Board and a Fellow at the European Centre on Privacy and Cybersecurity at the University of Maastricht, where he co-leads the Humanitarian Action Programme.

Aaron Martin is an Assistant Professor of Media Studies and Data Science at the University of Virginia, United States. His research interests include data governance in development and humanitarian contexts, critical infrastructure protection, surveillance, and biometrics.

“In our changing world, knowledge production is key to understanding where we stand in the digital age. This timely publication makes a valuable contribution by placing data protection at the center, as an enabler of rights and a vital tool to strengthen humanitarian action.”

— Beatriz de Anchorena, Chair of the Committee of Convention 108 and Head of the AAIP, the Data Protection Authority in Argentina.

“A timely and thoughtful reflection on a decade of progress in data protection across the humanitarian sector, and a vital guide as we navigate our increasingly data-driven world.”

— Carmen Casado, DPO and Director of the Global Privacy Office, UN World Food Programme.

“Data protection has become a crucial topic in the humanitarian space. This new book examining the interface between data protection regulatory frameworks and humanitarian action will be mandatory reading for anyone working in either field.”

— Christopher Kuner (Dr), University of Copenhagen and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Brussels.

“This timely publication captures a decade of critical reflection on data protection as a cornerstone of principled and effective humanitarian action. Bridging theory and practice, it reaffirms our collective commitment to dignity, trust, and accountability in a digital age – and equips us to face emerging challenges with integrity.”

— Lucie Laplante, Under Secretary General for Legal, Governance and Accountability, ad interim, IFRC.