Can you decode what these air quality companies are really saying about YOUR data?

Read ten terms of service excerpt -based on real terms used by air quality monitoring companies- and choose what it actually means for data ownership.

This game was inspired by the groundbreaking work of Christa Hasenkopf and the EPIC Air Quality Fund at the University of Chicago, which is working to close critical air quality data gaps around the world through truly open data initiatives.

The EPIC Air Quality Fund aims to expand access to air quality data to 1 billion people by 2030, addressing the stark reality that nearly 40 percent of countries—many of which are highly polluted—aren’t producing open air quality data for their citizens.

The fund’s rigorous requirements for data ownership, CC-BY-4.0 licensing, and unrestricted sharing have highlighted how many commercial air quality monitoring companies impose restrictive terms that prevent communities from truly owning and sharing their environmental data.

As Christa Hasenkopf notes, ‘Opacity and lack of data are pollution’s best friend,’ and this game seeks to empower communities and organizations to recognize and avoid the legal language that perpetuates this opacity.

By learning to decode corporate terms and conditions, users can make informed decisions that support the EPIC fund’s vision of air quality data as a public good—ensuring that the communities most affected by air pollution have the tools and data access they need to drive meaningful change and policy action.

At AirGradient, we believe that true data ownership goes beyond just legal terms—it requires open source hardware that gives communities complete control over their monitoring infrastructure. Our commitment to open source hardware and software, published under CC-BY-SA 4.0 license, means that communities not only own their data but also own the designs, code, and knowledge needed to build, repair, and improve their air quality monitors independently.

As AirGradient CEO Achim Haug explains: ‘Unfortunately there’s a trend in the industry to not let you own the data that your own monitors generate. We think this is wrong and against humanity’s best interests. So we want to show that there’s a way for a company to be profitable while still promoting open access to air quality data.’

This approach has enabled everyone from high school students in Northern Thailand to environmental justice organizations worldwide to build their own monitoring networks without being dependent on proprietary systems or corporate data policies.

When communities control both the hardware and the data, they achieve true technological sovereignty—the ability to monitor their air quality on their own terms, adapt the technology to their specific needs, and ensure their data remains accessible regardless of corporate decisions or business model changes.