The Future State Participation-Agency-Choice-Trust (PACT) Framework helps policymakers put the rights and aspirations of people at the center of the data revolution. PACT doesn’t prescribe answers but rather supports policymakers in asking the right questions as they navigate the complex choices that shape their countries’ digital future.
Participation
For even the most marginalized people to collaborate, create content, and transact digitally, we must ask:
- Are digital services available and affordable to all?
- Can all people access relevant digital services through the devices available to them?
- What are the usage rates for digital services? To what extent are people collaborating and authoring new content and applications?
Agency
Empowering people in the digital age requires policies and tools that give people clear rights, the means to share their data (or not), and the ability to speak up when things go wrong. We must ask:
- Are all people empowered with basic digital skills?
- Do existing laws clarify the rights of people over their data and do they
- understand those rights?
- Do people have tools to meaningfully manage their own data?
Choice
For people to have ample choices among digital services and providers, we must ask:
- Is the competitive landscape thriving such that people select services based on quality and cost?
- Do people have data portability tools allowing them to take their data to service providers of their choice?
Trust
Realizing the promise of the digital revolution requires building the confidence of users in the policies, systems, and institutions underpinning services, we must ask:
- Do institutions exist to support consumer protection and offer forms of redressal?
- Do policies clearly indicate the rights and responsibilities of individuals, governments, and market players with respect to data, freedom of expression, governance/oversight, and other issues affecting personal liberties?
- Do individuals have visibility into how their data is being used and analyzed?
The PACT Flyer is available as a PDF.
