“It’s not about locking data away — it’s about building systems people can trust, so data can be used safely, responsibly, and for public good.”
In a world powered by data, access is everything… but so is trust. My research tackles a core challenge: how to make sensitive data like NHS records or government files accessible to researchers, without compromising the privacy of the people behind it.
Working with Professor Felix Ritchie, the original creator of the Five Safes framework, I enable institutions around the world rethink how data is governed, so that systems focus on human judgment, not fear.
From ‘Lock It Down’ to ‘Use It Well’
For years, data governance has defaulted to caution. In many systems, especially legal ones, the assumption has been: people are a risk, data must be locked away. This approach comes at a cost. Without access to large scale, real world data, researchers are forced to work with small sample sizes, outdated studies or no data at all. This limits progress in vital areas like healthcare, social services, and public policy. As the recent pandemic has shown, these limits can be crippling to people in the moment.
This is why I am creating a different path. We need to shift our perception, It’s not about assuming people are dangerous, It’s about giving them the tools, training, and support to act responsibly and recognising that most people want to do the right thing
The Five Safes Framework
At the heart of this rethink is the Five Safes: a simple but powerful set of questions asked of any data project:
- Are the people safe?
- Is the project safe?
- Is the data safe?
- Is the environment safe?
- Are the outputs safe?
By considering each aspect separately, it allows us to manage risk sensibly without defaulting to blanket denial. It’s a more flexible, responsive way to govern data, and it works. Since its introduction, the Five Safes model has been adopted by the Office for National Statistics, HMRC, and health bodies in the UK and beyond. It’s now written into the UK’s Digital Economy Act and used in Canada, Australia, and across Europe.
A Human Approach to Risk
What sets this work apart is its emphasis on people, not process. The legal route tends to focus on punishment; fines, prosecution, jail time. The thing is most breaches happen not through malice, but by mistake, or because people don’t feel safe enough to speak up. Using this framework I train other researchers and data custodians to reflect on their own biases, question assumptions, and take active responsibility. This is building a new culture and approach to data where people flag risks early, work collaboratively, and trust the system to support and not to punish them.
Since joining the project in 2015, I have worked with organisations across the UK and internationally. We have embed the Five Safes into their systems, trained staff, and shifted mindsets. We’ve worked with everyone from national statistical agencies to healthcare providers and tax authorities. What’s more We’ve seen countries redesign entire legal frameworks because they saw how effective this model was. It’s making data access cheaper, safer, and more impactful. Ultimately, enabling research to deliver real benefits to the public.
Behind every dataset are real people, the more we understand their experiences, the better we can design policies, services, and support that work. It is possible to respect privacy without stalling progress and with the right framework, trust becomes the foundation of a stronger, safer data ecosystem. After all, It’s not about locking data away, it’s about building systems people can trust, so data can be used safely, responsibly, and for public good.
Contribution to the UN 2030 sustainable development goals
UWE Bristol is proud to align our research to the UN sustainable development goals. The above research aligns with the following goals:
