The data industry has a reputation problem, and much of it is deserved. People have learned that information about them is collected, combined and sold in ways they never imagined. Businesses have bought datasets that turned out to be outdated, inaccurate or obtained in questionable ways. For anyone who works with data, these failures make one thing clear: ethics cannot be an afterthought.
At IGMEP Data, we have tried to articulate the lines we will not cross. I share them here not because we have everything figured out, but because I believe the industry improves when people state their principles openly.
Purpose comes first
We ask what data will be used for before we discuss providing it. Some purposes are clearly legitimate: understanding a market, finding potential partners, evaluating suppliers, conducting research. Others are not, such as harassment, discrimination, manipulation or anything that would harm the people or companies described. If the purpose is unclear or troubling, we decline.
Respect for people
Business data often touches individuals: founders, executives, contacts. These are people, not just records. We treat any information that identifies a person with the care required by law, including Brazil's LGPD, and with the further question of whether they would reasonably expect it to be used this way. When the answer is no, the legal analysis is not the end of the discussion.
Collect only what is needed
Every additional field is additional risk. We aim to hold and share only what serves a clear purpose. This protects the people involved and also makes our data cleaner and more useful.
Be honest about quality
No dataset is perfect. We describe our sources, our methods, our verification dates and our known gaps. We would rather lose a sale by being honest about a limitation than win one by implying a precision we do not have.
Exclusivity means exclusivity
When we agree that a partner has exclusive access to a dataset, segment or set of relationships, that commitment is recorded and honored. We do not sell the same exclusive asset twice. Keeping a careful record of what has been licensed to whom, and on what terms, is a basic obligation of honest dealing.
Clear terms in writing
Every data relationship should be governed by a clear written agreement: what is provided, for what purpose, for how long, with what restrictions and what happens at the end. Clear terms protect both sides and prevent the misunderstandings that damage trust.
Security as a duty
Data in our care must be protected. That means access controls, careful handling and the discipline to share only through appropriate channels. A breach does not only harm the company that suffers it; it harms everyone whose information was exposed.
Relationships over transactions
Our data is rooted in relationships built over many years, across generations of our family and our network. That history is the reason the information has value, and it is also a responsibility. Treating relationships as mere inventory would betray the trust that created them.
Why this matters commercially
Some people see ethics and commerce as being in tension. In data, I believe they are aligned. Buyers are becoming more sophisticated and more cautious. Regulators are more active. Reputations travel quickly. The data businesses that last will be those that can explain, without embarrassment, exactly what they do and why.
That is the standard we hold ourselves to, and the standard we encourage partners to hold us to.
A indústria de dados tem um problema de reputação, em boa parte merecido. Para quem trabalha com dados, a ética não pode ser um detalhe. Compartilho aqui os limites que a IGMEP Data não ultrapassa.
Nossos princípios
Finalidade primeiro: perguntamos para que os dados serão usados. Respeito às pessoas, conforme a LGPD e além dela. Coleta mínima. Honestidade sobre qualidade, fontes e lacunas. Exclusividade é exclusividade: nunca vendemos duas vezes o mesmo ativo exclusivo. Termos claros por escrito. Segurança como dever.
Relações acima de transações
Nossos dados nascem de relações construídas ao longo de gerações. Isso é valor e também responsabilidade. Em dados, ética e comércio caminham juntos.