Policies Partner-facing policies
Civic Data Sharing Policy
Defines what civic data can be shared with municipalities, what is public, what is private, and what requires consent.
- Version
- 0.1.0
- Effective
- May 20, 2026
- Last reviewed
- May 20, 2026
- Review cycle
- every 6 months
- Master Policy Index entry
- §4 #27
Policy text
Civic data is a layered category. Some of it is genuinely public (aggregate counts of pothole reports in a neighbourhood); some is municipality-only (the specific address attached to a Civic Pin); some is private and never shared (the identity of a reporter who chose to remain anonymous). The Civic Data Sharing Policy defines which slice goes where.
It applies to Map.ca civic-data pipelines, to municipal partners receiving shared data, and to anyone running aggregate civic analyses. Sensitive locations and minor-involving reports are governed at the strictest setting.
Principles this policy enforces
- Civic reporting must be useful without becoming a public shaming system
- Public data and personal data are not the same thing
- Community benefit must survive scale
What it requires
- Default to private and share only what the user authorized.
- Aggregate civic data before public release.
- Protect reporter identity unless the reporter explicitly waived anonymity.
What it forbids
- Do not share Civic Pin reporter identities without consent.
- Do not release minor-involving civic data publicly.
- Do not share sensitive-location civic data outside municipal-only channels.
How it applies
- Map.ca civic-data pipelines
- Municipal partners
- Researchers and journalists using civic data
References
- Map.ca Policy Constitution §2 principle 8 — Public data and personal data are not the same thing
Related policies
Civic Pin Policy
What can be reported as a Civic Pin, who can report it, how it displays, and how it routes to municipalities.
Municipal Partner Policy
How municipalities partner with Map.ca: intake routing, response SLAs, data sharing, and what stays under municipal control.
Open Data Policy
What aggregated and anonymized data Map.ca releases as open data, with what license, and what stays out.
Sensitive Location Data Policy
Protects homes, shelters, children’s programs, places of worship, support services, vulnerable populations, and safety-sensitive locations.