Data Sovereignty Discussion Tree

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🌿 Data Sovereignty Decision Tree 🌿

Protecting Our Whānau’s Digital Mauri

Based on Kaupapa Māori principles and Professor Graham Smith’s critical questions

START: You’re considering an AI tool for your whānau
Machine Learning Algorithm Data Mining
↓
STEP 1: CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE CHECK
Does this AI tool involve our cultural knowledge, family stories, images of whānau, or te reo Māori?
YES ↓
Michael Young’s Questions:
• What knowledge will this AI learn about us?
• Who decides what’s “worthwhile” about our culture?
• Whose interests benefit from our cultural data?
Training Data Bias
↓
Is our cultural knowledge treated as collective property (not individual)?
NO ↓
🛑 STOP
This tool doesn’t respect our tikanga around collective knowledge ownership
YES ↓
Continue to Step 2 →
NO ↓
Skip to Step 2 →
Remember: “Data is our stories” – Every piece of information about our whānau has whakapapa and mauri
STEP 2: SURVEILLANCE & PRIVACY
What data collection and tracking does this tool do?
✅ MINIMAL
Only what’s needed for function
Clear privacy policy
↓
Continue to Step 3
⚠️ MODERATE
Some extra data collection
Metadata gathering
↓
Can you opt out of extra data collection?
YES ↓
Continue to Step 3
NO ↓
🛑 RECONSIDER
🛑 EXTENSIVE
Heavy surveillance
Unclear data use
↓
STOP
Too risky for whānau privacy
STEP 3: COLLECTIVE BENEFIT TEST
Applying Professor Smith’s “Individual vs Collective” principle:
Does this AI tool benefit our whole whānau/community or just individuals?
✅ COLLECTIVE BENEFIT
Helps whole whānau learn, connect, or stay safe
⚠️ MIXED BENEFIT
Some individual, some collective value
⚠️ INDIVIDUAL ONLY
Mainly serves one person’s convenience
↓
STEP 4: “TECHNOFICATION” CHECK
Does this AI tool reduce our complex cultural knowledge to simple data points?
Does it remove the emotional and spiritual aspects of our knowledge?
YES ↓
🛑 HIGH RISK
This tool may damage the mauri of our knowledge
Consider alternatives
NO ↓
Continue to Step 5
STEP 5: DEMOCRATIC HEGEMONY CHECK
Is everyone pressuring your whānau to use this because “everyone else does”?
Remember: Democracy can be problematic for minority groups like us.
YES ↓
⚠️ PAUSE & REFLECT
Make sure this choice aligns with YOUR whānau values, not just popular opinion
NO ↓
Continue to Final Decision
↓
FINAL DECISION: THE SIX TESTS
Apply Professor Smith’s Kaupapa Māori framework:
  1. Positionality: Where does this place our whānau?
  2. Centrality: Does this support Māori language, knowledge, culture?
  3. Criticality: What problems might this create?
  4. Transforming: Can this help change things for the better?
  5. Theory: What’s our plan for using this responsibly?
  6. Praxis: How will we keep improving our approach?
✅ PROCEED WITH CONFIDENCE
This AI tool aligns with our values and serves our whānau well
⚠️ PROCEED WITH SAFEGUARDS
Set clear boundaries and regularly review its impact on your whānau
🛑 FIND ALTERNATIVES
This tool doesn’t align with our cultural values and collective wellbeing
Remember: Technology should serve our whānau’s mauri and mana – not the other way around. Trust your cultural instincts alongside this logical framework.
Keep this framework handy for all AI decisions!
Based on Professor Graham Hingangaroa Smith’s “Critical Questions of AI that should concern Māori”