Our Commitment to Your Data Rights
NationLink recognizes that data about Indigenous peoples is a strategic resource. We are committed to the principles of Indigenous data sovereignty, the right of Indigenous peoples to govern the collection, ownership, and application of data about their communities, lands, and resources.
We believe that First Nations must have control over data that is collected about their citizens, territories, resources, and ways of life. This is not just a policy, it's a fundamental principle that guides everything we do.
OCAP® Principles
Our platform is designed in alignment with the OCAP® principles (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession), which are the de facto standard for how First Nations' data should be collected, protected, used, and shared.
Community Ownership
Your nation's data belongs to your community. We are custodians, not owners, of your information.
Community Control
Your designated administrators have full control over who can access data and how it's used.
Full Access
Your community has unrestricted access to all data stored in NationLink at any time.
Community Possession
You can export and download all your data in standard formats whenever you choose.
Data Location & Storage
🇨🇦 Canadian Data Residency
All NationLink data is stored exclusively in Canadian data centers. Your community's information never leaves Canadian jurisdiction. Our primary data centers are located in:
- Toronto, Ontario (Primary)
- Montreal, Quebec (Backup/Disaster Recovery)
We do not use international cloud providers that may store data outside of Canada.
Your Data Rights
Right to Export
You can export all your community's data at any time in standard formats (CSV, JSON, PDF). This includes member records, genealogical data, documents, and all historical information.
Right to Deletion
Upon request, we will permanently delete all of your community's data from our systems. We provide a 30-day grace period to export data before permanent deletion.
Right to Restrict Processing
Your administrators can restrict how data is processed, who has access, and what features are enabled for your community.
Right to Audit
Detailed audit logs are available showing all access to your community's data. You can review who accessed what information and when.
No Third-Party Data Sharing
We make the following commitments regarding your data:
- We never sell your data to third parties
- We never share your data for marketing purposes
- We never use your data for AI/ML training outside of your community's benefit
- We never provide government access without your explicit consent and legal requirement
- We never aggregate your data with other communities without explicit permission
Research & Statistics
If your community wishes to participate in research or share aggregated statistics:
- All participation is opt-in and requires explicit administrator consent
- Your community reviews and approves any data before it's shared
- Your community receives copies of any research outputs
- You can withdraw consent at any time
Questions About Data Sovereignty?
We welcome discussions about data sovereignty and are committed to continuous improvement of our practices. Contact our Data Sovereignty team:
NationLink Data Sovereignty Team
Email: sovereignty@nationlink.ca
Phone: 1-800-NATION-1
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Acknowledgment: OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC). We acknowledge FNIGC's leadership in establishing data governance principles for First Nations in Canada. Learn more at fnigc.ca/ocap.