Register

ACLED users are required to register through the Access Portal before gaining access to the data. This process takes about five minutes. When registering, each person will be asked to provide their name and a contact email as well as to classify their use into one of the following categories: academic; for profit/private business/commercial; foundation/charity; government; intergovernmental/multinational organization; media; military; and NGO/INGO/think tank. Users will also be asked for a brief summary of their use case (How will you be using ACLED data?). Once registered, users can immediately generate a unique access key to use when downloading data (see this guide for further instructions on how to register and manage your account). For any questions, please contact [email protected].

Registration allows ACLED to better understand our users and use cases. In turn, this helps us to foster responsible use of the data, better support our users, and ensure the sustainability of ACLED into the future. 

In the past, access to ACLED data was unrestricted and registration was not required. ACLED changed its access and use policies for several reasons:

1. ACLED has a team of over 200 researchers and staff members, and the organization is sustained through public and private funding. To build a sustainable model and to allow for public use, restrictions are in place to ensure the data are used responsibly and in good faith, and to prohibit the resale and misuse of ACLED data. The registration system also allows us to learn more about our user community and the varied ways in which ACLED data are used. This in turn supports both our internal and external monitoring and evaluation processes, which contribute to our ability to maintain funding for the project and ensure the sustainability of the free access model.
2. Unrestricted use was damaging ACLED’s ability to sustain this model and to guarantee support and visibility for local partners, and the work of ACLED researchers.
3. As part of ACLED’s do-no-harm and conflict sensitivity policies (see below), ACLED aims to prevent bad faith use, including cases where ACLED’s data and research are used, manipulated, or misrepresented to harm, target, oppress, or defame ACLED, the data subjects, or any other group. With the incorporation of ACLED’s Terms of Use (TOUs), and the restriction of use being conditional on the acceptance and acknowledgement of ACLED’s data collection choices and methods, ACLED is now better positioned to identify and guard against bad faith use. Therefore, ACLED’s TOUs and registration process help to protect the organization’s reputation and ensure the data are being used responsibly.

ACLED’s access model is designed to ensure the responsible use of ACLED data and the sustainability of its collection. ACLED data are free to the public for extensive, though not unlimited, use. The extent of free access for users is determined based on the category of the user (as documented during the registration process). Once the category of user is determined, for those who are not Media, an existing Sponsor or Partner, or an ACLED Network member, free access will include the following:

• Public Sector:
  1. Six downloads per year in total (from date of registration)
  2. Access to real-time data
  3. Access to three years of historical data (where available, from date of download)

• Civil Society:
  1. Unlimited downloads
  2. Access to real-time data and historical data
  3. Access to API available upon request

• Corporate:
  1. Three downloads per year in total (from date of registration)
  2. Access to real-time data
  3. Access to one year of historical data (from date of download)

Those who wish to gain further access to the data are invited to contact ACLED to discuss their needs. Please send any questions to [email protected].

Yes. Nothing about ACLED’s legal structure has changed. ACLED remains a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Yes. All users who abide by ACLED’s Terms of Use & Attribution Policy may access ACLED data for free once they have registered. ACLED’s Terms of Use & Attribution Policy is presented during the registration process and must be accepted by all users before downloading data via the website or API. For questions, please contact [email protected].