Question 8: Retrieve or Delete from the Cloud – What are your rights?

The term “up in the cloud” used to mean watching the weather. Today, millions of data points are generated from agricultural technology daily and ultimately live “in the cloud.” Farm operations benefit from this on-going cataloging, yet how easy is it to retrieve a farm’s data or have it deleted after it moves to the cloud?  Our Ag Data Transparent questionnaire addresses this topic with Question 8: Does the tech company maintain an original copy of user data that can be retrieved or deleted upon a user’s request? 

 The ADT has always recognized the farmer’s right to delete data, even long before the European Union titled this idea “the Right to be Forgotten” in its General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). The GDPR may not apply to a tractor generating data while crossing a North American field, but for ADT-certified companies, explaining the farmers’ right to delete data is part of being transparent. When asked about this idea, certified company John Deere, for example, responded: “Yes, we maintain master customer data in our system, and our customers have the right to retrieve and delete customer data from our systems, including master and any internal copies.”

 You can see each company’s answer on the ADT Website. For instance, here is the more detailed assurance provided by John Deere in its ADT certification:

 “You may request that we delete Production or Other Data from your account by accessing MyJohnDeere.com or contacting your dealer – who can request that it be removed. You may request that we delete Machine Data from your account by contacting your dealer who can request that it be removed. Additionally, you may delete files at your convenience in the John Deere Operations Center.”

 Seeking certification and letting your customers know what rights they have to erase data from the cloud is a way to show you are committed to transparency. Take the first step in the ADT process by clicking here.