Presentation provided by Peter Brantley, University of California-Davis, during a NISO Webinar, Understanding Privacy, held on March 23, 2016

1. Updating Privacy:
AGU
Peter Brantley
Member, AGU Publications Committee
Director, Online Strategy, UC Davis Library

2. about AGU
"The American Geophysical Union is dedicated to advancing the Earth
and space sciences for the benefit of humanity."
AGU is a not-for-profit, professional, scientific organization with more
than 60,000 members in 139 countries. It publishes 19 peer-reviewed
scientific journals; an online news site, eos.org.
Governance:
AGU members / AGU Council / AGU Board

3. Updating privacy
• Complex organizations engage with the world in different ways.
• Organizationally, privacy is not a single straightforward "thing."
• Privacy principlesmust direct development of privacy policies.

4. AGU Today (2016)
• Current AGU privacy policy was adopted by the AGU Council in
December 2002 and revised May 2004.
• 10+ year old privacy policy beginning to be risky, constraining.
• Lengthy, yet rudimentary in how it addresses online data and
communications.

5. Triggers
Positives:
• Growing interest in tailored, personalized services.
• Linking AGU membership and publications information.
• Desire to reduce any bias (gender, ethnic) in reviewing.
• Desire to harmonize privacy across AGU functions.
Whoops:
• AGU 2015 Fall Membership meeting: "RFID incident"

6. AGU membership
AGU Membership database holds directory and varying PII.
• How much demographic data is useful for the society?
• Full birthdate? or just a birth year?
• What set of gender identifications?
• Aggregated data helpful in analysis.
• In AGU Fall meeting, possibly deliver tailored services:
• Provide contact information, download a white paper.
• Register interest in presentations, get recommendations.
• Obtain all listed references in a set of posters.

7. AGU publishing operations
Many distinct data flows in a journal publications workflow.
E.g. Authors submit a paper > opt-in for email contact.
• Editorial workflows require some data transparency:
• Who else reviewed these submitting authors?
• Which topic reviewers have we not called on recently?
• Conflicts of interest between authors and reviewers.
• Associate Editors have less access than Editors or EICs.
• Staff will have more access than Editors.

8. AGU online
AGU online faces other constraints.
For online readers, user privacy policy is John Wiley & Sons, AGU's
external publishing platform partner.
Wiley is an international platform. E.g., it must:
• observe updated US-EU Safe Harbor provisions;
• new Russian border information controls; and
• may share data among other J. Wiley country affiliates.

9. Interlinking society and platform
User profile data must flow in some form from AGU to Wiley to provide
access to AGU membership or subscription benefits.
• AGU move to single sign on will reduce data flow.
• Could provide greater personal data security.
• SSO transmits "flags" rather than user data.

10. New AGU publications
AGU Eos (eos.org) is a web native (WP) publication run by AGU.
Much newer publication, privacy policy is much more explicit on
cookies, beacons, IP addresses and web technologies. Simplified.
Partial template for future AGU public facing privacy policies.

11. AGU as living society
• AGU has perceived the need to update guidelines.
• Alignment of internal stakeholders necessary.
• Task force/committee structure helpful.
AGU Task force convened June 2015.

12. New privacy policy
"Rapid technological advances and the growing availability of new tools
and the evolution of constituent expectations about individual privacy
rights compel AGU to establish, and maintain and adapt up-to-date
policies."
Updated Privacy Policy and recommendations will be delivered by
summer of 2016.

13. Inputs
• Task force has 12-16 members, diverse representation.
• Combination of in-person and virtual meetings.
• AGU obtained international privacy advice from Wiley.
• Engagement with both internal and external counsel.
• Consultation with privacy experts in U.S., Europe.

14. Deliverables
(1) a set of principles related to privacy and data security supporting
new methods, tools and technology for forming community;
(2) an updated comprehensive AGU privacy policy based on these
principles; and
(3) specific recommendations for individual privacy as applied to the
implementation of new technology tools and services.

15. Process
• Task force policy draft will be voted on by the AGU Council.
• Due to legal and financial ramifications, reviewed by AGU Board.
• Promulgated outbound, implementation by online services.

16. / thanks!
contact info:
Peter Brantley
pbrantley@ucdavis.edu
naypinya@berkeley.edu
@naypinya