Scorecard Visualization¶

Interactive visualization of human rights indicators across 194 countries.

Quick Overview¶

194 Countries

Comprehensive global coverage across all UN member states and territories
10 Indicators

AI Policy, Data Protection, LGBTQ+ Status, Child Protection, and more
2,543 Source URLs

Validated authoritative sources from UNESCO, UNCTAD, ILGA, UNICEF, etc.
January 2026

Last updated with latest policy changes and new data

Accessing Data¶

Via REST API¶

Get scorecard data programmatically:

# Get all countries
curl http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard

# Get specific country
curl http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard/Kenya

# Get indicator statistics
curl http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard/indicators/statistics

API Quick Start Full API Docs

Interactive Visualizations¶

Interactive visualizations are currently under development. This page will feature country-level heatmaps, regional comparisons, time-series analysis, and source verification status.

For now, explore the data through the REST API, CSV exports, or direct file access (see Exporting Data below).

Indicators Tracked¶

Scoring System

Each indicator uses a 0-1-2 scale where higher scores indicate stronger protections:

2 (Best) - Comprehensive protections or safeguards in place
1 (Middle) - Partial protections or mixed implementation
0 (Worst) - No protections, harmful policies, or heightened risk

Categories are listed from best (2) to worst (0) below. Risk analysis examines combinations of indicators (e.g., LGBTQ criminalization × biometric ID linkage).

1. Data Protection Law (Data_Protection_Law)¶

Existence of comprehensive data protection legislation governing personal data processing.

Sources: UNCTAD Data Protection and Privacy Legislation Database; national statutes

Categories:

Comprehensive Law (2) - Enacted data protection legislation with enforcement mechanisms
Draft Legislation (1) - Bill pending or under consultation
No Specific Law (0) - No comprehensive data protection law

2. Data Protection Authority Independence (DPA_Independence)¶

Whether the national Data Protection Authority operates independently from executive control.

Sources: UNCTAD; DPA statutes; academic and regulatory analysis

Categories:

Independent Authority (2) - DPA operates with full operational and financial independence
Limited Independence (1) - DPA exists but with constraints (appointments, budget, reporting)
No DPA or Dependent Authority (0) - No DPA established or DPA fully controlled by executive

3. Children's Data Safeguards (Children_Data_Safeguards)¶

Binding child-specific privacy/data-protection safeguards in law or regulation (not general child welfare law).

Sources: National legislation; UNICEF; data protection laws

Categories:

Explicit Child Data Protections (2) - Child-specific data governance provisions: limits on profiling/ads for children, heightened consent standards, age-appropriate design, "best interests of child" principle, retention/minimization rules, minors' rights (erase/access)
General Protections Only (1) - Children covered under general data protection but no child-specific data governance provisions
No Specific Safeguards (0) - No data protection framework or no child-specific safeguards

4. Child Online Protection Strategy (COP_Strategy)¶

National COP strategy/framework addressing online harms to children; may include parental tools/rights.

Sources: UNICEF; ITU; national policy documents

Categories:

National COP Strategy (2) - Comprehensive national COP framework: governance bodies, reporting/hotlines, digital literacy programs, platform safety guidance, sectoral online safety rules, parental empowerment measures
Partial / Sectoral Measures (1) - Sectoral initiatives, pilot programs, awareness campaigns, or piecemeal safety measures
No Strategy (0) - No national or sectoral child online protection strategy

5. Sensitive Data Protections for SOGI (SOGI_Sensitive_Data)¶

Whether sexual orientation and gender identity are legally recognized as sensitive personal data.

Sources: Data protection statutes; ILGA World

Categories:

Explicitly Protected (2) - Sexual orientation and/or gender identity explicitly listed as sensitive data
Implicitly Covered (1) - Covered under "sex life" or similar broader categories
Not Recognized (0) - SOGI not recognized as sensitive data or no data protection law

6. LGBTQ+ Legal Status (LGBTQ_Legal_Status)¶

Legal recognition and protection of LGBTQ+ individuals.

Sources: ILGA World; Human Rights Watch

Categories:

Comprehensive Protections (2) - Anti-discrimination laws, marriage recognition, constitutional protections
Legal, No Specific Protections (1) - Same-sex relations decriminalized but no anti-discrimination protections
Criminalization (0) - Same-sex relations criminalized under law

7. LGBTQ+ Promotion / Propaganda Offences (Promotion_Propaganda_Offences)¶

Laws restricting discussion, visibility, or advocacy related to LGBTQ+ identities.

Sources: ILGA World; national criminal codes

Categories:

No Restrictions (2) - No legal restrictions on LGBTQ+ expression, advocacy, or visibility
Restrictive Measures (1) - Administrative restrictions, morality codes, or broadcast regulations limiting LGBTQ+ expression
Criminalized Promotion (0) - Explicit propaganda laws or criminal penalties for LGBTQ+ advocacy/discussion

8. AI Policy Status (AI_Policy_Status)¶

Whether a country has adopted a national AI strategy or framework.

Sources: UNESCO AI Policy Observatory; UNCTAD; national governments

Categories:

Comprehensive AI Strategy (2) - Adopted national AI strategy with implementation plan and governance framework
Framework or Guidelines (1) - Draft strategy, policy guidelines, or AI addressed in broader digital transformation plans
No Published Policy (0) - No AI-specific strategy or framework

9. DPIA Required for High-Risk AI (DPIA_Required_High_Risk_AI)¶

Legal requirement to conduct Data Protection Impact Assessments for high-risk AI systems.

Sources: AI laws; data protection statutes; regulatory guidance

Categories:

Explicitly Required (2) - Law mandates DPIA for high-risk AI systems (profiling, automated decisions, biometric processing)
Partially Required (1) - DPIA required for certain processing but not specifically for AI, or optional/recommended
Not Required (0) - No DPIA requirement or no data protection framework

10. SIM Card Biometric ID Linkage (SIM_Biometric_ID_Linkage)¶

Requirement to provide biometric data when registering SIM cards, either directly or through linkage to biometric national ID systems.

Sources: Privacy International; telecom regulators; media reports

Categories:

Not Required (2) - No ID requirement or minimal registration without biometric linkage
Non-biometric ID Required (1) - ID number/passport required but NOT linked to biometric database (photo on card ≠ biometric unless in facial recognition database)
Mandatory Biometric Registration (0) - Biometric data (fingerprints, facial scans, iris) required directly OR SIM requires national ID that is biometrically backed

Composite Scores¶

In addition to the 10 individual indicators, the scorecard calculates composite metrics:

Protection Score¶

Formula: Sum of all 10 indicator scores (0–20 scale)

Maximum: 20 (all indicators score 2)
Minimum: 0 (all indicators score 0)
Interpretation: Higher scores indicate stronger digital rights protections

Example: Country with 7 indicators at (2), 2 at (1), 1 at (0) = 14 + 2 + 0 = 16 Protection Score

Risk Index¶

Formula: 100 − (Protection_Score / 20 × 100)

Maximum: 100 (no protections, highest risk)
Minimum: 0 (full protections, lowest risk)
Interpretation: Inverted scale where higher values indicate greater risk

Example: Protection Score of 16 → Risk Index = 100 − (16/20 × 100) = 100 − 80 = 20

Data Completeness¶

Formula: (Number of known indicators / 10) × 100

Maximum: 100% (all 10 indicators have data)
Minimum: 0% (no indicator data available)
Interpretation: Percentage of metrics with verified data for the country

Note: Countries with low data completeness (<50%) should be interpreted cautiously as composite scores may not reflect full picture.

Exporting Data¶

Via REST API (Recommended)¶

NEW: Access scorecard data programmatically via the REST API:

# Start the API server
python run_api.py

Then query the data:

# Get all countries with scorecard data
curl http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard

# Get specific country
curl http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard/Kenya

# Get indicator statistics
curl http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard/indicators/statistics

# Filter by region
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard?region=Africa"

Python Example:

import requests
import pandas as pd

# Fetch scorecard data via API
response = requests.get("http://localhost:5000/api/scorecard?per_page=200")
data = response.json()["data"]["items"]

# Convert to DataFrame
df = pd.DataFrame(data)
print(df[["country", "region", "indicator_count"]])

See API Documentation for complete endpoint reference.

From the Pipeline¶

Run the scorecard export workflow:

python pipeline_runner.py --mode scorecard --scorecard-action export

This generates:

scorecard_summary.csv - Countries × Indicators table
scorecard_sources.csv - All source URLs with validation status
scorecard_by_indicator.csv - Grouped by indicator
scorecard_by_region.csv - Regional aggregations

CSV Format¶

scorecard_summary.csv:

Country	AI_Policy_Status	Data_Protection_Law	LGBTQ_Legal_Status	...
Kenya	Framework	Comprehensive Law	No Protections	...
South Africa	Strategy	Comprehensive Law	Some Protections	...

scorecard_sources.csv:

Country	Indicator	Value	Source_URL	Validated	Last_Checked
Kenya	AI_Policy	Framework	https://...	✅	2026-01-15

Data Explorer¶

<div id="scorecard-explorer">
  <p><em>Interactive data explorer will be available in future update.</em></p>
</div>

<style>
#scorecard-explorer {
  background: #f5f5f5;
  border: 1px solid #ddd;
  border-radius: 4px;
  padding: 2rem;
  text-align: center;
  margin: 2rem 0;
}

/* Placeholder for future plotly visualization */
.plotly-chart {
  width: 100%;
  height: 600px;
}
</style>

Validation & Quality¶

URL Validation¶

All 2,543 source URLs are automatically validated:

python pipeline_runner.py --mode scorecard --scorecard-action validate

Generates validation_report.csv with:

HTTP status codes
Redirect chains
Broken links
Response times

Change Detection¶

Monitor sources for updates:

python processors/scorecard_diff.py

Detects:

Content changes (via hashing)
Policy updates
Broken links
New data available

Data Quality¶

Authoritative Sources:

UNESCO - AI policies and digital education
UNCTAD - Data protection legislation
ILGA World - LGBTQ+ legal status
UNICEF - Child protection measures
ITU - Telecom regulations
Privacy International - Surveillance measures

Update Frequency:

Manually reviewed quarterly
Automated monitoring alerts when sources change
Community contributions via GitHub issues

Contributing Data¶

Found an error or have updated information?

Verify - Check the source URL in scorecard_main.xlsx

Report - Open GitHub Issue with:

- Country name
- Indicator
- Current value vs. correct value
- Authoritative source URL

Update - Maintainer reviews and updates
Re-export - Updated data regenerated

Citing Scorecard Data¶

When using scorecard data in publications:

@misc{littlerainbowrights2025,
  title = {LittleRainbowRights Scorecard: Child and LGBTQ+ Digital Rights Indicators},
  author = {Vollmer, S.C.},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/MissCrispenCakes/DigitalChild}},
  note = {Licensed under CC BY 4.0. ORCID: 0000-0002-3359-2810}
}

Or:

Vollmer, D.T., & Vollmer, S.C. (2025). LittleRainbowRights Scorecard: Child and LGBTQ+ Digital Rights Indicators. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Available at: https://github.com/MissCrispenCakes/DigitalChild ORCID: 0000-0002-3359-2810 (S.C. Vollmer)

Limitations & Disclaimers¶

Important Considerations

Point-in-time data: Reflects information as of January 2026 Binary categorization: Complex policies simplified into discrete categories Source availability: Some countries lack accessible English-language sources Implementation vs. policy: Tracks official policy, not enforcement Regional variation: Federal systems may have state/provincial differences

Use Responsibly

This scorecard is a research tool, not legal advice. Always:

- Verify source URLs before citing
- Consider local context and nuance
- Acknowledge limitations in publications
- Cross-reference with other datasets

Future Enhancements¶

Planned features (see Roadmap):

Interactive heatmap visualizations (Plotly.js)
Country comparison tool
Time-series tracking of policy changes
API for programmatic access ✅ COMPLETE (14 endpoints live, production-ready, see API docs)
Real-time source monitoring alerts
Expanded indicators (15-20 total)
Sub-national data (states/provinces)

Technical Details¶

For technical documentation:

Scorecard Workflow Guide - Complete system overview
Metadata Schema - Data structure
Architecture - System design

Support & Feedback¶

Data quality issues: Open Issue
Feature requests: Start Discussion
General questions: FAQ

Note: Interactive visualizations are under active development. Check back for updates or watch the repository for notifications.