Report by Ofcom (UK): “…We outline three potential policy options and models for facilitating greater researcher access, which include:
- Clarify existing legal rules: Relevant authorities, could provide additional guidance on what is already legally permitted for researcher access on important issues, such as data donations and research-related scraping.
- Create new duties, enforced by a backstop regulator: Services could be required to put in place systems and processes to operationalise data access. This could include new duties on regulated services to create standard procedures for researcher accreditation. Services would be responsible for providing researchers with data directly or providing the interface through which they can access it and offering appeal and redress mechanisms. A backstop regulator could enforce these duties – either an existing or new body.
- Enable and manage access via independent intermediary: New legal powers could be granted to a trusted third party which would facilitate and manage researchers’ access to data. This intermediary – which could again be an existing or new body – would accredit researchers and provide secure access.
Our report describes three types of intermediary that could be considered – direct access intermediary, notice to service intermediary and repository intermediary models.
- Direct access intermediary. Researchers could request data with an intermediary facilitating secure access. In this model, services could retain responsibility for hosting and providing data while the intermediary maintains the interface by which researchers request access.
- Notice to service intermediary. Researchers could apply for accreditation and request access to specific datasets via the intermediary. This could include data that would not be accessible in direct access models. The intermediary would review and refuse or approve access. Services would then be required to provide access to the approved data.
- Repository intermediary. The intermediary could itself provide direct access to data, by providing an interface for data access and/or hosting the data itself and taking responsibility for data governance. This could also include data that would not be accessible in direct access models…(More)”.