Version 1.0

AWDPS

Animal Welfare Data Protection Standard

AWDPS defines a set of principles and requirements for the secure handling, privacy, integrity, and portability of animal-related data.

View the Standard

Scope

  • Data security, including encryption at rest and in transit
  • Role-based access control and least privilege
  • Record integrity, auditability, and versioning
  • Data portability without vendor lock-in
  • Separation of data domains, especially financial data
  • Plain-language, non-coercive consent requirements
  • Responsible breach investigation and notification

Core Principles

The standard is organized around eight foundational principles.

Animal-Centric Data Model

Animals are recognized as data subjects. Records are organized around the individual animal and persist independently of any single human account.

Data Protection and Security

Animal data shall be protected using encryption, access controls, and monitoring practices consistent with those expected in regulated data environments.

Access Control

Access is governed by the principle of least privilege. Roles and permissions reflect the relationship between the requesting party and the animal.

Data Integrity

Finalized records must be immutable, with corrections made through a documented amendment process. All modifications are attributed and auditable.

Data Portability

Authorized parties shall be able to export records in structured, machine-readable formats. Systems shall not impose barriers that create vendor dependency.

Consent and Transparency

Data practices must be disclosed in plain language. Consent must be specific, informed, revocable, and non-coercive.

Data Separation

Sensitive data domains shall be logically or physically separated. Financial data must be isolated from animal identity and welfare records.

Risk Surface Minimization

Systems should minimize the concentration of high-value target data and delegate sensitive processing to purpose-limited subsystems where possible.

About This Standard

Human medical data is governed by established frameworks such as HIPAA. No comparable standard exists for animal-related records.

AWDPS defines baseline expectations for the protection, access, and integrity of animal data across systems and organizations, including the use of strong encryption and data security controls consistent with those expected in regulated environments.

These principles are intended to support the secure handling of data for animals, their owners, and the organizations and public agencies responsible for their care, oversight, and regulation.