Disseminate access not data ESRC Research Methods Festival 2018

Data release Once data are released control is effectively lost Therefore Released data must either be anonymised beyond risk or the data provider must undertake a costly auditing regime to ensure the on-going security of the setti

Disseminate access not data Straightforward solution to protecting sensitive data – keep control of it! Increasing international interest in opportunities offered by safe settings Thomas and Walport (2008) recommended that to preserve data confidentiality “‘safe havens’ should be developed as an environment for population-based research and statistical analysis’.

UK Infrastructure ADRN and UK Data Service – services to support the dissemination of data Free to data providers and researchers Metadata, discovery and value add HMRC, NHS and ONS data labs Department specific labs Farr, Jill Dando Institute, Cancer Research UK, Health Foundation and others

Current UK position Strengths Weaknesses World leading infrastructure NSFC RCUK event | 18/07/2017 | Tanvi Desai Current UK position Strengths World leading infrastructure Highly qualified researchers and analysts World leading data privacy experts Pioneering expertise in data support Weaknesses Over reliance on on-site access Government unwillingness to share Lack of understanding of challenges among funders/government No national standard NOT ENOUGH DATA

National standards No national standard means individual assurance of each safe setting more difficult, expensive for data providers to trust providers may not have confidence in own decisions The right national standards would Promote trust Reduce assurance costs Enable data sharing across secure networks ENABLE UK TO MAINTAIN WORLD LEADING POSITION IN EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH

NSFC RCUK event | 18/07/2017 | Tanvi Desai Digital Economy Act Provides an explicit legal gateway to enable sharing of data for research UKSA to develop and oversee national standards for Safe settings Safe people Safe projects Safe outputs

Conclusion Without a secure data access infrastructure that is trusted by government departments the UK is starting to fall behind other countries in our ability to carry out evidence based research for policy development and assessment The DEA offers the opportunity for a national standard to be developed that is trusted by data providers, researchers and the public An effective national infrastructure of safe settings will enable the UK to carry out sophisticated research in the public interest while simultaneously protecting data subjects to a very high standard

Thank you hello@tanvidesai.co.uk http://tanvidesai.co.uk