Purpose First - The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Privacy-preserving Data Sharing

We just published our latest paper “Purpose First: The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing”. This paper is a fairly non-technical (or at least non-CS), policy paper that we wrote in collaboration with Melanie Kolbe-Guyot from the Center for Digital Trust (C4DT), EPFL.

The main message of the paper: Current policy ambitions for Europe’s future data economy exhibit a problematic over-reliance on Privacy-Enhancing Technologies for data sharing in privacy-sensitive contexts.

Through a detailed analysis, including the rise of synthetic data generation as a case study, we argue that PETs for data sharing are subject to a fundamental trade-off between preserving data utility for the intended purpose and protecting privacy that is not adequately recognised.

Our paper stresses the necessity for realistic policy approaches that acknowledge these limitations. This is especially relevant in the context of EU ambitions for establishing sectoral hashtag#DataSpaces and for facilitating secondary data uses through widespread (micro)data sharing.

We call for an informed and tailored approach to data-sharing policy among policy makers and data practitioners. We urge a shift from a technology-centric approach to one that openly recognizes fundamental trade-offs and that prioritizes thorough evaluations centered around the intended purpose of the data sharing, as well as transparency across the data supply-chain.

Our hope is to contribute to informed policy discussions and advance effective data-sharing strategies!

You can either read the full paper or the shorter policy brief.