Data ethics

Being able to show that researchers, statisticians and analysts have not only considered how they can use data but also how they should use data, from an ethical perspective, is vital to ensuring public acceptability around the use of data for research and statistical purposes.

As the UK’s national statistical institute, we play a lead role in providing statisticians, researchers and analysts with applied sources of advice, guidance and other tools to help them ensure they use data in ethically appropriate ways.

Our Data Ethics team leads our provision of data ethics services, helping to ensure that the collection, access, use and sharing of data is ethical and for the public good. To find out more about the various forms of work that we engage in, please explore our web pages below.

Centre for Applied Data Ethics Policy

The Centre for Applied Data Ethics Policy was established by the UK Statistics Authority in 2021 to provide practical support and thought leadership in the application of data ethics by the research and statistical community. It forms part of the activities of the UK Statistics Authority data ethics team.

The Centre aims to provide a world leading resource that addresses the current and emerging needs of user communities, collaborating with partners in the UK and internationally to develop user-friendly, practical guidance, training and advice in the effective use of data for the public good.

You can read about some of our Centre activities in our letter to the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

Ethical principles

In reviewing project and policy proposals, we will provide advice to the National Statistician on the basis of the following principles:

  1. The use of data has clear benefits for users and serves the public good.
  2. The data subject’s identity (whether person or organisation) is protected, information is kept confidential and secure, and the issue of consent is considered appropriately.
  3. The risks and limits of new technologies are considered and there is sufficient human oversight so that methods employed are consistent with recognised standards of integrity and quality.
  4. Data used and methods employed are consistent with legal requirements such as Data Protection Legislation[1], the Human Rights Act 1998, the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and the common law duty of confidence.
  5. The views of the public are considered in light of the data used and the perceived benefits of the research.
  6. The access, use and sharing of data is transparent, and is communicated clearly and accessibly to the public.

[1] “Data Protection Legislation” means the full, applicable data protection framework as set out in the Data Protection Act 2018. This encompasses general processing (including the General Data Protection Regulation and the applied GDPR).

These principles are reviewed regularly.

Guidance and support

Ethics guidance documents

You can also view our other ethics-related publications and presentations undertaken as part of our engagement activities.

We want our ethics guidance to be as useful as possible in addressing the current and emerging needs of the research and statistical community.

If you would like to see practical user guidance on a particular ethics-related topic, be it data types, methods or applications, then please let us know by emailing data.ethics@statistics.gov.uk.

Ethics support

“Ethics by design” allows a consideration of ethical issues to be embedded in the design of a project, from its initial conception through to completion.

If you are involved in a major research project and would like to speak to us about embedded ethics involvement from the research design stage, please contact us at Data.Ethics@Statistics.gov.uk

Our data ethics team also provides a data ethics advisory service for all types of research and statistical projects. Visit the UK Statistics Authority’s data ethics service and the National Statistician’ Data Ethics Advisory Committee for further information.

The Centre for Applied Data Ethics Policy provides researchers and statisticians with practical guidance, training, and support in the effective and ethical use of data for the public good.

Ethics training

The Centre provides, and supports, data ethics training related to the UKSA Data Ethics Principles and the concept of ethics by design. If you could like support in developing or delivering data ethics training relevant to statistical research and projects, please get in touch by contacting data.ethics@statistics.gov.uk.

Ethics Assessments

The ethics assessment processes aims to offer researchers an understandable framework to consider the ethics of their projects throughout the research cycle. The framework provides a means to identify ethical issues and shape future discussions. The process aims to support accurate and consistent estimation of the ‘ethical risks’ of research proposals.

The Data Ethics Policy Team can support you when considering the ethics of your research project by offering further guidance, advice and training. Please contact us at data.ethics@statistics.gov.uk.

Engagement and outreach

Presentations and publications

Here you will find our presentations, publications, reviews and other engagement pieces.

You can view previous presentations and publications by the data ethics team here.

Publications

Presentations

International engagement

Understanding and effectively applying data ethics within our rapidly evolving society is a global issue.

Engaging with other National Statistical Institutes, international organisations and bodies is important to us and allows us to develop a shared understanding of the range of ethical issues that exist today and how they can best be addressed.

Collaboration

We collaborate with a range of organisations to ensure that the work that we do is as relevant and useful as possible to the research and statistical community.

We also engage with others to ensure that the practical application of data ethics remains a key consideration in the wider data ethics landscape, both at home and abroad.

If you are interested in collaborating with us on any of our data ethics work, please get in touch.

Find out more

Abstract Wooden People

National Statistician’s Data Ethics Advisory Committee (NSDEC)