Technology Select Committee to examine the opportunities and risks of ‘big data’
Matthew Woollard presents his response to the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee to examine the opportunities and risks of ‘big data’.
Back in July, the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee announced an inquiry to examine the opportunities and risks of ‘big data’. The inquiry (which is ongoing as I write) is focussing on whether the government is doing enough to allow entrepreneurs to benefit from the big ‘data revolution’, and to protect the rights of data subjects.
The UK Data Service has a long history in responding to government consultations, and this one was no exception. During July and August I coordinated a joint response from the UK Data Service and the europe rcs data Administrative Data Service (ADS), and this has been published alongside all the other responses to the Committee. What makes this response special, and worth reproducing here, is that we included it as part of our regular reporting to the ESRC’s Data Infrastructure Strategic Advisory Board (which has governance responsibilities for the UK Data Service), and they were hugely encouraging about it, since it gives a social science perspective on the opportunities and problems of some big data. It was this Committee which suggested that we publish it on this blog.
The response is 24 short paragraphs which are directly aligned to the questions posed by the Committee. And, when it says as the top that it was compiled by me, that’s the truth. At least half a dozen people from within the Services contributed to the final text; we also had comments on drafts from both the ESRC and researchers working in the field at the University of Essex. It was a real collaboration, and a demonstration that the UKDS and ADS work closely together on strategic initiatives. It was also commended by our governing body for its concision, clarity and relevance.