Safeguarding Against a Trump Data Dump

In light of former president Donald Trump’s re-election, the scientific, academic, and business communities have resumed and expanded mobilization efforts to safeguard critical data spanning climate science, immigration, education, and the economy. Based on its prior record, current proclamations, and cabinet leadership selections, many fear the new administration could restrict access to or manipulate publicly available information that challenges its policy positions.

The Silencing Science Tracker documented approximately 1,400 changes to U.S.agency websites that removed science-based information on environmental issues during the last Trump administration. 80% of these changes suspiciously occurred just before or during regulatory proceedings.

The Stakes of Data Loss

Data suppression or alteration poses serious risks to various sectors and populations. Without access to accurate data, climate science, immigration, education, and the economy could be adversely affected.

Researchers could face obstacles in tracking and combating climate change, leaving governments and businesses less prepared for its impacts and less able to help thwart climate change. Gaps in immigration data obscure understanding of migration patterns, complicating the development of effective policies, impacting the workforce, or worse, weaponizing misinformation to compromise the rights of certain classes of individuals. Misleading educational data could skew resource allocation, funding, and educational content, affecting students, educators, and ultimately businesses for generations to come. And without reliable economic data, businesses and policymakers may be left navigating uncertainty, potentially destabilizing markets, and putting the breaks on innovation.

“The removal of data is not just about access,” says Linda Dillon, assistant professor of sociology at UC Santa Cruz and founding member of the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI), “it's about the erasure of knowledge that communities rely on to advocate for their health and environment."

MORE FOR YOU
iOS 18.1.1—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users
Leak Reveals Trump Crypto Bombshell As Bitcoin Suddenly Surges Toward $100,000 Price
Could Matt Gaetz Get His House Seat Back—Or Be Named Senator? What To Know After He Bails As Trump’s Attorney General Pick

U.S.-Based Data Preservation Efforts

Proactive measures by universities, nonprofits, and grassroots organizations in the U.S. highlight the urgency of preserving critical datasets:

• DataRefuge: Launched by the University of Pennsylvania, this initiative hosts “Data Rescue” events where volunteers identify, download, and archive at-risk climate and environmental data.
• Climate Mirror: A collaborative effort of volunteers creating public backups of federal climate datasets ensures their availability even if government websites alter or remove them.
• Environmental Data and Governance Initiative (EDGI): This organization tracks changes to federal websites and reports on removed or altered data. Its interviews with government employees offer insight into changes in environmental governance.
• End-of-Term Project: A collaborative project archiving federal websites during US administration transitions captures a snapshot of vital information across multiple domains.

"It began to feel extremely urgent and called for engagement of a much wider research and volunteer community,” explains Bethany Wiggin about the founding of DataRefuge. “We are trying to create an insurance policy."

International Contributions to Data Preservation

The challenges posed by data suppression transcend political administrations and national borders. Efforts to preserve data reflect a broader commitment to transparency, accountability, and the public interest.

"If the information we [scientists] produce remains shut away, it has no value,” cautioned Dr. Valérie Masson-Delmotte, research director at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). “Our challenge is to share it within the education system and with decision-makers."

Efforts in the U.S. are paralleled by international and corporate measures to preserve this data, underscoring the global importance of information transparency and accessibility. Global initiatives stepping in to ensure data integrity and accessibility include:

• CERN: The European research organization manages over 420 petabytes of scientific data and continually enhances its preservation systems, offering a model for robust data management.
• Ice Memory Project: This international effort preserves ice cores from glaciers as a record of climate change. Stored in Antarctica, these archives will remain accessible for future generations.
• European Space Agency (ESA): ESA’s Climate Change Initiative ensures the long-term preservation of satellite data critical for global climate monitoring.
• The Internet Archive: The “Wayback Machine,” as it is known, has been a longstanding invaluable tool in preserving digital content, including public and research data. It enables users to access archived versions of web pages, ensuring that information remains available even if the original content is altered or removed.

Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine, emphasizes its role in combating digital decay: "The Wayback Machine serves as a defense against linkrot, preserving the web's history and ensuring that valuable information remains accessible over time."

Regarding research data specifically, Dr. Valérie Masson-Delmotte, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, emphasizes the global nature of these efforts: “International cooperation in data preservation is essential for combating global challenges like climate change. Data must transcend borders.”

Corporate and CIO-Led Initiatives

Businesses and their Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Chief Data Officers (CDOs) also can play a pivotal role in preserving and ensuring access to critical data:

• Cloud Infrastructure: Companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have each committed resources, storage and computing credits, and tools to help organizations around the world preserve and provide access to at-risk public and research data.
• Collaborations with Nonprofits: Partnerships with organizations like EDGI and Internet Archive allow businesses to lend their technical expertise, data and resources to preservation efforts.
• Corporate Advocacy for Transparency: Firms advocating for open data policies contribute to a culture of accountability and accessibility.
• Data Marketplaces: Established data brokers and an emerging class of online marketplaces for data, content and analytics can provide a safe haven for and broad access to companies’ sharable information.

"The ability to access and analyze data is essential for scientific progress and informed decision-making,” says Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google currently involved in several high-profile initiatives and ventures related to AI and national competitiveness. “Any attempt to limit or erase public research data is a step backward for society and innovation."

The Business Case for Data Preservation

For businesses, the implications of restricted data are clear. Without reliable economic data, businesses face uncertainty, leading to potential financial losses, and overall market instability. Moreover, as companies rely on data to navigate environmental and industry regulations, missing or altered data complicates compliance and strategy development. And reputationally, organizations perceived as participating in or benefiting from data suppression risk public backlash and loss of consumer trust. By supporting data preservation, companies not only safeguard critical information but also align themselves with the public interest, enhancing their credibility and long-term stability.

However, merely claiming or acknowledging data’s importance to the future of society and the economy may not go far enough. Emerging data valuation models can go a step further in formally proving the impact that integrated, clean, complete, and available data can have.

Turning Inaction Into Action

Failure to preserve data has far-reaching consequences. Inaccurate or missing datasets hinder scientific progress, mislead policymakers, and erode public trust. As seen during Trump’s first term, the suppression of climate data spurred misinformation, weakening the nation’s ability to address and participate in solving environmental challenges.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, spoke about the role of technology in preserving information: "In the digital age, we have a responsibility to ensure that valuable scientific data and research are not only preserved but made more accessible to drive innovation and solve global challenges."

Preserving data requires collective effort from governments, academia, businesses, technology providers, and international organizations. Such actions include:

1. Supporting Open Access: Businesses and governments should prioritize policies that ensure public access to critical datasets.
2. Funding Data Preservation: Increased investment in archiving initiatives and data infrastructure is essential for long-term accessibility.
3. Fostering International Cooperation: Global challenges demand collaborative solutions. International partnerships enhance data resilience and accessibility.
4. Engaging Stakeholders: CIOs and business leaders can advocate for transparency, ensuring that data remains an asset for innovation and public good.
5. Measuring Data’s Value: The monetary or other economic value of data sets should be calculated and communicated to the public and decision-makers.
6. Advanced Technologies: Developing and deploying tools such as AI models to identify deleted or altered data or web content, including deep fakes and other forms of misinformation.

As President Trump’s administration begins its second term, the call to action for data preservation is more urgent than ever. Whether through grassroots initiatives, corporate advocacy, or international cooperation, the fight to safeguard information remains a vital part of safeguarding our collective future.