A news release late last week from the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) stated that, “A coalition of major farm organizations, commodity groups and agriculture technology providers (ATPs) debuted a tool designed to help farmers understand how their data will be used when they adopt precision agriculture technologies.”
The AFBF item explained that, “The Ag Data Transparency Evaluator was created to help producers understand where their data is going and who has access and control over it. The evaluator requires participating ATPs to answer 10 key questions about their technology products’ use and control of farmer data. A third-party administrator then reviews the answers and determines whether the products meet the standards of transparency set by the Privacy and Security Principles for Farm Data (Data Principles). Products that meet the standards will receive the ‘Ag Data Transparent’ seal to be displayed on promotional materials and product pages. Additionally, farmers can go to the Transparency Evaluator website to see and compare all the products and services that have undergone the evaluation.”
Last week’s update added that, “Some of the 10 questions addressed by the Evaluator include: What categories of data do the product or service collect from the farmer?; Will the ATP obtain the farmer’s consent before providing other companies with access to the data?; and Will the ATP notify the farmer if a breach of data security occurs that causes disclosure of the farmer’s data to an outside party?”
