Conducting Mobile Surveys Responsibly: A Field Book for WFP Staff

"Mobile technology offers a tremendous opportunity to communicate better with people in humanitarian settings. However, these new capabilities also entail privacy and security risks for people and the communities where mobile surveys are implemented."

This field book outlines the main risks for staff engaged in mobile data collection and helps promote responsible data collection/storage/sharing in the complex environment in which the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) operates. WFP has been collecting increasing amounts of information by mobile phone as part of its mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) project: In 2016, mVAM conducted 250,000 surveys in over 30 countries, asking nearly 4 million questions. To implement WFP's corporate policy on data privacy and security through practical guidance at the field level, the organisation has issued this guide in collaboration with the International Data Responsibility Group.

Following an introduction exploring the risks, Section 2 presents principles and definitions, exploring: responsible data, lawful and fair data collection and processing, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or personal data, Demographically Identifiable Information (DII), special vulnerabilities, and data controller (WFP's status as the data controller entails obligations that are described in this guide).

Section 3 examines the data responsibility chain and its place within the programme cycle, outlining risks and harms that can occur before, during, and after collecting data. Steps and strategies are shared. For example, before collecting data, one of WFP's focus areas is on understanding and engaging with local context. This involves, if possible, getting advice from a protection specialist before starting a survey. Some of the best practices are as follows: (i) Engage with the community about major risks related to the proposed data collection. This can be done by interviewing members of the community and through a quick literature review on the mobile phone landscape (e.g., mobile phone ownership and usage rate, social and gender norms) in the country. (ii) Work with a community-based organisation (CBO) or non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the community that can sensitise people about the activity. "It is vital to engage with the community before collecting data....This is usually done with the support of a local CBO..." (iii) Explore opportunities with "self-organising" groups, whereby respondents set up management committees themselves.

The next section examines tools and methods that WFP Field Officers can use to mitigate risk. These fall into the categories of: Keep respondent lists confidential and do not share phone numbers; use encrypted transfer methods; use secure storage; ensure third party providers abide by their obligations; take extra precautions when sharing or reporting on geolocation; carry out monitoring, evaluation, and reiteration; work with the government; and explore alternative approaches.

The resource concludes by describing itself as a living document that needs to be reviewed regularly to keep abreast with the latest insights in this rapidly developing field.