# Universal DPI Safeguards Framework

The Universal DPI Safeguards Framework is designed as an open public asset to extend foundational and actionable recommendations that are adaptable to diverse contexts. It is not a static body of knowledge but will continue to evolve across all its elements with the active contribution of stakeholders such as governments, responsible authorities, seasoned practitioners, civil society organizations (CSOs), and international communities.\


<figure><img src="https://2791960348-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FM4qpfWbmGu30B3njFAAV%2Fuploads%2FzDp9IwjxOUuxp2nvsl5T%2FFigure-v4.%20DPI%20Safeguards%20Framework.png?alt=media&#x26;token=3b9bae60-0a5e-4266-885c-993e7788ea78" alt=""><figcaption><p><br>Five components of the Framework</p></figcaption></figure>

The Framework is made up of five components:&#x20;

**1. Risks to be mitigated:**&#x20;

Risk refers to the possibility of harm and involves uncertainty about the effects of an activity on people’s health, well-being, wealth, property or the environment. V1.0. of the Framework describes 13 interrelated risk areas.

**2. Principles:**&#x20;

Principles, currently 18, are core propositions to mitigate risk which have been derived from the possible risks observed in the DPI ecosystem. These include new risks and existing structural vulnerabilities.&#x20;

**3. Responsible authorities:**&#x20;

A functional group of stakeholders with assigned or assumed roles, responsibilities and accountability for effective implementation and evolution of DPI safeguards.&#x20;

**4. Life cycle stages:**&#x20;

DPI has five life cycle stages, namely: Conception and Scoping, Strategy and Design, Development, Deployment, and Operations and Maintenance.&#x20;

**5. Recommendations:**&#x20;

These include \~ 300 processes and practices; built from existing experiences in countries.&#x20;

* A process is a series of activities required to produce a result which may occur once, or be recurrent or periodic. In the Framework, principles are translated into processes relevant to responsible authorities at appropriate life cycle stages.
* Practices are related to processes and indicate what may or may not have been done in the past under normal circumstances. Practices are evolving and may not always indicate the best of  practices in the context of the Framework.

Thus, the Framework offers multiple permutations of risks, principles, responsible authorities, life cycle stages and recommendations. It is designed as an open knowledge asset that allows any user to query it to identify actions they need to take.

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This first release of the Framework (Version 1.0), lays the foundation through five components (see figure 3.1 in Section 3). It is important to note that the list of responsible authorities, practices and processes are not exhaustive, and further feedback, insights and information curated during its application will be synthesized and incorporated into the emergent knowledge base as the Framework evolves.
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