Legal and Ethical Challenges of Sharing Big Data

As the use of big data in social research continues to grow, challenges are emerging regarding the sharing of these forms of research data.nbsp; Data may be shared in response to funder mandates, journal requirements, or researchers' preferences.nbsp; Sharing big data may pose legal and ethical challenges for three reasons: 1) data are not created by researchers; 2) data are not created for research purposes; and 3) data are not created in discreet bundles.nbsp; When data are produced outside traditional research frameworks, the conventional protections (e.g., informed consent and anonymisation) may not be feasible or possible.nbsp; Moreover, data that were previously collected for specific research purposes are now increasing capable of being linked with other data sources, potentially increasing disclosure risks.This poster will consider diverse genres of big data (e.g., social media, geo-spatial, and administrative).nbsp; The key challenges of data sharing will be shown, with practical tools—such as checklists and flowcharts—to guide researchers through the steps of sharing big data