Understanding the CARE Principles: Why They Matter for Open Research and Indigenous Data Sovereignty
In recent years, conversations about data governance have broadened beyond technical standards and infrastructure. Increasingly, researchers, institutions, and communities are asking deeper questions: Who does data serve? Who benefits? Who has authority over its use, especially when it concerns Indigenous Peoples?
The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance provide an essential framework for addressing these questions. Developed alongside the widely cited FAIR Principles, CARE shifts the focus from machines and metadata to people and purpose.
As part of International Love Data Week 2026, this blog post shares reflections on the CARE Principles, explains why they matter and explores what more intentional practices around support for CARE principles might look like.