Making Sense of Your Digital Ag Tool’s Privacy Agreement
Digital agriculture continues to rapidly evolve both here in North America and globally, write Elizabeth Landis and John Fulton at PrecisionAg. Farm data and its value remains a hot topic within agriculture while the number of digital technologies commercially available is unbelievable.
Our Digital Ag team here at Ohio State University continues to track advancements in the ag tech and digital ag space and has found more than 100 companies offering a digital ag tools here in North America as of Q4 of 2019. It is hard to believe the number of these digital ag tools available. One can review these tools under the “Tech Catalog” at the United Soybean Board Tech Toolshed. With all these digital ag tools available, when was the last time you read an entire privacy agreement? Most, if not all of us, would probably say never, unfortunately.
An ag technology provider (ATP) offering digital ag tools and software today typically require the user to sign an agreement that includes a privacy policy within the terms and conditions. These terms and condition agreements can be long and dry. Consequently, most of us just click “I Agree” without reviewing the information outlined in these agreements, but selecting “I Agree” is important as farm data and information is collected or shared when using digital ag tools and software.
The Ohio State Digital Ag Team took time this past year and went through several agreements of popular digital tools. All these agreements varied in length and information outlined. The image below illustrates printed agreements from 18 popular ATPs offered here in Ohio. Of note, most outlined the privacy policy of each company and how they viewed sharing farm data with affiliates or others outside their company.
Continue reading at PrecisionAg.
Subscribe Today For
