Tiered Sovereignty Data Framework: Indigenous Data Sovereignty Standard

This repository is read-only and archived. Issues and pull requests are disabled. For questions or proposed amendments, contact the author directly.

A comprehensive framework for Indigenous data classification and governance that operationalizes Indigenous Data Sovereignty principles (CARE, OCAP, UNDRIP) into implementable standards.

---

Overview

The Tiered Sovereignty Data Framework (TSDF) provides Indigenous Nations with a clear, enforceable mechanism for data governance. It translates foundational Indigenous data sovereignty principles into practical, actionable classifications.

The Four Tiers

Tier	Name	Definition
T0	Open/Public	Data formally released for public benefit by sovereign Indigenous decision
T1	Network	Data shared among Indigenous network members via reciprocal protocols
T2	Negotiated	Data shared with external partners through formal agreements
T3	Sovereign	Data under complete Indigenous control; never leaves community systems

Core Principle

When in doubt, classify as T3.

Over-classification is correctable; under-classification may cause irreversible harm.

---

Repository Contents

TieredSovereignDataFramework/
├── README.md                           # This file
├── LICENSE                             # CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license text
├── CITATION.cff                        # Academic citation metadata
├── CHANGELOG.md                        # Version history
├── standard/
│   ├── TSDF-Standard-v0.9.md           # Full standard document
│   └── tier-decision-guide.md          # Classification decision guide
└── literature/
    ├── idsov-climate-review.md         # Systematic review: IDS in climate research
    ├── idsov-governance-review.md      # Systematic review: governance frameworks
    └── convergence-architecture.md     # Theoretical synthesis

---

Quick Start

For Indigenous Nations

1. Review the Standard: Read standard/TSDF-Standard-v0.9.md for the complete framework
2. Use the Decision Guide: Apply standard/tier-decision-guide.md for classification decisions
3. Default to T3: When classification is uncertain, protect first
4. Adapt as needed: This framework supports your existing governance structures

For Research Partners

1. Recognize Tribal Sovereignty: Indigenous Nations set data governance terms
2. Request Access Through Proper Channels: T2 requires formal agreements
3. Honor Tier Restrictions: Classification determines access, not requests
4. Build Relationships: FPIC is ongoing dialogue, not one-time consent

For Technology Providers

1. Implement Tier-based Access Controls: Technical enforcement, not just policy
2. Support Architectural Guarantees for T3: Make external access impossible
3. Maintain Audit Trails: Accountability requires documentation
4. Obtain Explicit Approval for AI/ML: Especially for T1-T3 data

---

Key Framework Principles

Sovereignty-First Design

• Classification authority rests with Indigenous governing bodies
• Tribes are Rights Holders and Sovereigns, not stakeholders
• Data governance is an expression of Inherent Rights

Framework Alignment

Framework	TSDF Implementation
CARE Principles	Collective Benefit, Authority, Responsibility, Ethics operationalized through tiers
OCAP Principles	Ownership, Control, Access, Possession enforced by classification
UNDRIP Article 31	Cultural heritage protection through T3 architectural guarantees
IEEE P2890-2025	IEEE Recommended Practice for Provenance of Indigenous Peoples' Data
Local Contexts Traditional Knowledge Labels	TK/BC Labels integrate within any tier

AI/ML Restrictions

Tier	Training	Inference
T0	Permitted	Permitted
T1	Network approval required	Network scope only
T2	Per agreement only	Per agreement only
T3	Prohibited	Prohibited

---

Literature Reviews

The literature/ directory contains systematic reviews and theoretical synthesis supporting this framework:

• Indigenous Data Sovereignty in Climate Research: Review of 22 sources on IDS frameworks for environmental data sharing
• Indigenous Data Governance Frameworks: Review of 40 studies on governance mechanisms for Indigenous-controlled repositories
• Convergence Architecture: Theoretical synthesis of Indigenous Data, Network, Digital, and Computational Sovereignty

---

Related Work

Part 2: Federated Indigenous Data Protocol

This repository contains Part 1: The Indigenous Data Sovereignty Standard (governance framework).

A companion technical specification, the Federated Indigenous Data Protocol, provides implementation details for federated data infrastructure. That work is licensed separately under Apache 2.0 and is not included in this repository.

Related Frameworks

• CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
• OCAP Principles (FNIGC)
• Local Contexts Labels
• UNDRIP
• IEEE 2890-2025

---

Citation

If you use this framework in research or policy development, please cite:

@misc{freeland2025tsdf,
  author = {Freeland, Patrick A.},
  title = {Tiered Sovereignty Data Framework: Indigenous Data Sovereignty Standard},
  year = {2025},
  version = {0.9.0},
  publisher = {Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians},
  url = {https://github.com/atniclimate/TieredSovereignDataFramework},
  license = {CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0}
}

See CITATION.cff for machine-readable citation metadata.

---

License

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

You are free to:

• Share, copy, and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material

Under the following terms:

• Attribution: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made
• NonCommercial: You may not use the material for commercial purposes
• ShareAlike: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license

Indigenous Governance Notice

While this document is openly licensed, implementations of this framework that govern Indigenous community data should be developed in partnership with those communities and in accordance with applicable Indigenous data governance and provenence principles and standards (CARE, OCAP, IEEE-P2890-2025, community-specific protocols).

---

Acknowledgments

This framework builds upon decades of Indigenous data sovereignty scholarship and advocacy, including:

• The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance
• The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) and OCAP Principles
• The Global Indigenous Data Alliance
• Indigenous scholars and advocates who have led this work

---

Author: Patrick A. Freeland Organization: Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Version: 0.9.0 License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0