Paul Thomas, head of engineering, CareScribe
In a technological world increasingly reliant on “The Cloud”, data can have a nasty habit of being sent in many directions with little control or understanding of where it has been or where it ends up. It’s important that we, as consumers, understand how our data is being stored and used.
This is even more relevant to those who rely on Assistive Technology (AT) – a term used for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities. This can include everything from captioning software and speech to text, to wheelchairs and other mobility aids. For these people, using technology may not be optional, but rather necessary, to live a life without barriers. Therefore, it’s paramount that they are empowered to make decisions about what technology they use based on a proper understanding of how it works and where their data ends up.
What is data sovereignty?
Data Sovereignty means that data is subject to the laws and governance structures within the nation it is processed. Different nations will have different laws surrounding the use and storage of data. For those in the UK and EU, you’ll likely be familiar with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and even after Brexit, thanks to the Adequacy Decision in 2021, data is able to flow freely between the UK and EU.
Why should you care?
Perhaps you work with confidential information such as a customer’s personal details, business information or other data which, if leaked, could result in loss of privacy or intellectual property. It’s therefore important to understand how this data will be stored and the laws and governance around its use. This is where Data Sovereignty comes in, as knowing where it is stored means you can understand how it can be used.
Your company, place of work or study may also have rules in place around where data can be stored and processed for these very reasons, so it’s important to check that you are not breaking any policies by your data being transferred where it shouldn’t be.
Using The Cloud
Just about all online software, including Assistive Technology software, will may store or process data in the Cloud. The thing to bear in mind is that Cloud use often entails international data transfers, which has the potential to create compliance issues for users as data stored in The Cloud may be under the jurisdiction of more than one country’s laws.
It’s worth knowing whether or not the software you’re choosing to use involves these international data transfers and which nation’s laws the data is subject to. This will hopefully ensure you feel empowered with the knowledge of where your data is being kept and what rules your Assistive Technology supplier is abiding by.
What to look for
We believe that any providers of Assistive Technology you are using should provide transparent information regarding data sovereignty. Here at CareScribe, we store and process your data within the EU and so abide by EU (and UK) data laws. We never leverage your data elsewhere because we make tech for those who need it most, with the aim of levelling the playing field. It’s at the core of who we are.
The most important thing to remember is that this information isn’t to scare people, but rather to empower Assistive Technology users with the information about how their tech and the laws they abide by may function.
