OCAP+-+First+Nations+Privacy+Rights

The OCAP Principles address the collective privacy rights of First Nations communities in Canada. The acronym stands for Ownership, Control, Access and Possession. The term OCAP was first coined by the National Steering Committee of the First Nations and Inuit Regional Longitudinal Health Survey. The principles are as follows (from the [|FNC Privacy Toolkit]):


 * Ownership**: The notion of ownership refers to the relationship of a First Nations community to its cultural knowledge/ information/ data. The principle states that a community or group owns information collectively in the same way that an individual owns his or her personal information.


 * Control:** The aspirations and rights of First Nations people to have control of all aspects of their lives and instituions extend research and information. The principle of control asserts that First Nations people, their communities, and leadership bodies are within their rights in seeking to control all aspects of research and information management processes which impact them.


 * Access:** First Nations people must have access to information about themselves and their communities, regardless of where it is currently held.


 * Possession:** While ownership identifies the relationship between a people and their data in principle, the meaning of possession or stewardship is more literal. Although not a condition of ownership in itself, possession (of data) is a mechanism by which ownership can be asserted and protected. When data owned by one party are in the possession of another, there is a risk of breach or misuse. This is a particularly important issue when trust is lacking between the owner and possessor.

For more information see the publication [|OCAP: Ownership, Control, Access and Possession (2007)]published by the First Nations Center of the National Aboriginal Health Organization.