84watchdog Manifest

Version 1.0 – May 2025

1. Purpose & Vision

At 84watchdog we believe that responsible data collection and computation can illuminate truth, drive better decisions, and accelerate positive change—but only when it is coupled with transparency, proportionality, and respect for individual rights. This document sets out the principles that guide every project, partnership, and line of code we author.

2. Scope

This Manifest applies to all team members, contractors, and partners who handle data under the 84watchdog umbrella, across every geography and legal regime in which we operate.

3. Core Principles

Principle	Why it Matters	Our Commitment
Legitimacy	Data must serve a clearly defined, lawful purpose.	Every collection activity is mapped to a documented use‑case and legal basis.
Minimalism	Collect only what is necessary to fulfil that purpose.	We design ingestion pipelines that default to exclusion, not inclusion.
Accountability	People, not abstractions, are responsible.	Named project leads sign off on risk assessments and post‑mortem reviews.
Transparency	Trust thrives on visibility.	We maintain auditable logs and publish plain‑language summaries of our processing activities.

4. Professional Tools

We leverage industry-grade, security-hardened platforms that meet or exceed ISO 27001, ISO 42001 requirements. Tool selection is reviewed quarterly by our Technology Governance Board against the following checklist:

1. Encryption‑in‑Transit & at‑Rest (AES‑256 or better)
2. Role‑Based Access Control (RBAC) with MFA

We do not employ shadow‑IT, freeware lacking security attestation, or closed black‑box models whose risk cannot be quantified.

5. Code of Conduct

All personnel agree to the following behavioural charter:

• Integrity First – No data manipulation aimed at misleading stakeholders.
• Speak Up Duty – Flag anomalies, biases, or security gaps immediately.
• Conflict‑of‑Interest Disclosure – Financial, personal, or ideological ties must be declared.
• Zero Retaliation – Whistle‑blowers are protected and celebrated.
• Continuous Learning – Minimum 8 hours of ethics & security training per year.

Breaches trigger a graded response: from mandatory retraining to contract termination and regulatory notification.

6. Need‑to‑Know Principle

Access to datasets and compute resources is granted solely on the basis of operational necessity:

• Least Privilege – Default deny; time‑boxed permissions.
• Segmentation – Production, staging, and development environments are isolated.
• Differential Privacy & Anonymisation – Where full data access is not essential, we provide redacted or synthetic subsets.
• Periodic Review – Access rights expire automatically every 90 days unless re‑justified.

7. Self‑Declaration

Before onboarding a project, the responsible lead must file a Self‑Declaration of Data Ethics Compliance covering:

1. Purpose & Expected Benefit
2. Data Categories & Sources (incl. sensitive data flags)
3. Legal Basis & Jurisdictional Mapping
4. Risk Assessment Summary (privacy, security, societal impact)
5. Deletion & Retention Timetable
6. Stakeholder Communication Plan

Declarations are stored in our compliance repository and are auditable by regulators and clients upon request.

8. Data Deletion & Post‑Project Hygiene

We practice Data Sunset by Design. Upon project completion or contract termination:

1. Archival Decision – Determine if anonymised aggregates hold long‑term value.

Residual data retention beyond this window requires executive approval and documented legal justification.

9. Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Incident Response Drills conducted semi‑annually

10. Living Document

This Manifest is reviewed every six months

Epilogue

Data is the oxygen of the digital age, but too much oxygen can also start a fire. By committing to these tenets we intend not only to use data but to steward it—balancing curiosity with caution, ambition with restraint. If our practices ever drift from these words, we invite every employee, client, and citizen to hold us accountable.

What truth will your data tell tomorrow—and who will speak for those it describes?